A new surgical treatment of pincer nail deformity using artificial dermis

Pincer nail deformity is an excessive transverse curvature of the nail plate. It often causes severe pain and reduces the patient's quality of life. Various surgical techniques have been reported for pincer nail deformity, but no studies have reported the use of artificial dermis to resolve the dead space on both sides of the distal phalanx after the deformed nail bed is elevated. We describe our new surgical method placing artificial dermis in these dead spaces, and we provide the results of our evaluation of the method's effectiveness.

We examined the cases of the patients who underwent surgical treatment using artificial dermis for pincer nail deformity at our hospital between April 1, 2020, and March 31, 2024. The patients' information was retrospectively reviewed from the medical records. In the surgery, we placed artificial dermis in the dead space on both sides of the distal phalanx. The change in nail curvature was evaluated using the height index (HI).

A total of 19 toes of 11 patients were included. Postoperatively, the mean HI value was significantly improved from 64.8% to 12.9% (p<0.05). All 11 patients were relieved of the pain. No early postoperative complications and no recurrences were observed in the patients.

Our new method of placing artificial dermis in the dead space on both sides of the distal phalanx is a simple and effective treatment for pincer nail deformity.