[Mycetoma of the fingers. Apropos of 5 case reports]

The authors report 5 cases of mycetomas of the fingers observed over a period of 5 years in a series of 18 mycetomas of the hand. In 3 cases, the lesion only involved the soft tissues, which were excised with 2 apparent cures after 2 and 5 years and one recurrence. In the other 2 cases, the bone was invaded and 2 digital amputations were performed without recurrence after 2 and 6 years. The authors review the epidemiology and histopathology of this disease as well as the absence of any truly effective medical treatment. In the presence of bone invasion, only excision can ensure cure.