Patient Satisfaction with Treatment for Onychocryptosis: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Onychocryptosis, or ingrown nail, is a common condition in which the nail plate penetrates the nail fold, often resulting in inflammation and pain. Nonsurgical and surgical treatments are utilized, but patient satisfaction with these therapies has not been well studied. The purpose of this study was to systematically review the available literature describing patient-reported outcomes of onychocryptosis treatments. We performed a search of the literature published prior to May 22, 2019. Articles were included in the review if primary data were presented, patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) were used, and nail involvement was specifically examined. From the initial search, 18 studies were included in the final analysis. Patients receiving both nonsurgical and surgical interventions reported high levels of overall satisfaction; however, most studies used ad hoc measures rather than validated PROMs, providing little granular information on the impact of treatment on quality of life (QoL). This review affirms that treatment for onychocryptosis results in satisfactory outcomes for patients; however, increased efforts are needed to understand the impact of therapy on patient QoL as assessed by validated outcome measure that accurately assess patients' cosmetic, physical, and social difficulties.

Nails in older adults

“…If conservative approaches fail, surgical approaches include partial/complete nail avulsion with or without matricectomy [ 5 , 8 , 15 ]. A systematic review of 18 studies that discussed patient-reported outcomes of onychocryptosis treatments demonstrated that patients receiving both nonsurgical and surgical interventions reported relatively high levels of patient satisfaction [ 16 ].…”

A review of skin disease in military soldiers: challenges and potential solutions

“…Treatment of mild or moderate cases may be treated with open-toe footwear, managing underlying hyperhidrosis and onychomycosis if present, warm water soaks, gutter splints, cotton nail casts or metal braces. Recalcitrant and severe cases may be treated with phenol matricectomy, and is also more effective at preventing recurrence than non-surgical interventions [ 150 , 152 ].…”

Titanium‐molybdenum brace in the treatment of ingrown toenails

“…1 Effective noninvasive treatment methods of the disease remain limited. 2 The aim of the study was to analyze the efficacy of an original E-brace ® made from titanium-molybdenum alloy (TMA) for correcting ingrown toenails. This prospective study was conducted at a podiatry clinic on a total of 120 participants (72 women and 48 men), aged 18-70 years (mean 44.3 ± 16.9), with unilateral or bilateral ingrown great toenail, treated with the use of TMA brace (Figure S1).…”