Ainhum Follow-up

  • Author: Samuel T Selden; Chief Editor: Dirk M Elston, MD   more...
 
Updated: Aug 16, 2011
 

Complications

  • Secondary infections may complicate ainhum.
  • If more than just the 2 fifth toes are affected in ainhum or pseudoainhum, the individual's balance may be affected when walking.
  • Dermatophytosis complex may be a complication.
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Prognosis

  • Outcome is related to the stage in ainhum when the disease is diagnosed.
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Patient Education

  • Instructions in good foot care are critical. Since some cases of ainhum and pseudoainhum are familial, other family members may require examination.
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Contributor Information and Disclosures
Author

Samuel T Selden  MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Dermatology, Eastern Virginia Medical School; Consulting Staff, Chesapeake General Hospital; Private Practice

Samuel T Selden is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Dermatology

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Specialty Editor Board

Smeena Khan, MD  Private Practice, Adult and Pediatric Dermatology Associates

Smeena Khan, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha and American Academy of Dermatology

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Richard P Vinson, MD  Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Dermatology, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Paul L Foster School of Medicine; Consulting Staff, Mountain View Dermatology, PA

Richard P Vinson, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Dermatology, Association of Military Dermatologists, Texas Dermatological Society, and Texas Medical Association

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Jeffrey J Miller, MD  Associate Professor of Dermatology, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine; Staff Dermatologist, Pennsylvania State Milton S Hershey Medical Center

Jeffrey J Miller, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American Academy of Dermatology, Association of Professors of Dermatology, North American Hair Research Society, and Society for Investigative Dermatology

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Joel M Gelfand, MD, MSCE  Medical Director, Clinical Studies Unit, Assistant Professor, Department of Dermatology, Associate Scholar, Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Pennsylvania

Joel M Gelfand, MD, MSCE is a member of the following medical societies: Society for Investigative Dermatology

Disclosure: AMGEN Consulting fee Consulting; AMGEN Grant/research funds Investigator; Genentech Grant/research funds investigator; Centocor Consulting fee Consulting; Abbott Grant/research funds investigator; Abbott Consulting fee Consulting; Novartis investigator; Pfizer Grant/research funds investigator; Celgene Consulting fee DMC Chair; NIAMS and NHLBI Grant/research funds investigator

Chief Editor

Dirk M Elston, MD  Director, Ackerman Academy of Dermatopathology, New York

Dirk M Elston, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Dermatology

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

References

  1. Greene JT, Fincher RM. Case report: ainhum (spontaneous dactylolysis) in a 65-year-old American black man. Am J Med Sci. Feb 1992;303(2):118-20. [Medline].

  2. Mendelson DS, Chan KF, Song IS. Spontaneous dactylolysis with pain in a 58-year-old American Black man. JAMA. Oct 2 1981;246(14):1591-2. [Medline].

  3. da Silva Lima JF. On ainhum. Arch Dermatol. 1880;6:367.

  4. Olivieri I, Piccirillo A, Scarano E, Ricciuti F, Padula A, Molfese V. Dactylolysis spontanea or ainhum involving the big toe. J Rheumatol. Dec 2005;32(12):2437-9. [Medline].

  5. Cole GJ. Ainhum: An account of fifty-four patients with special reference to etiology and treatment. J Bone Joint Surg Br. Feb 1965;47:43-51. [Medline].

  6. Wells TL, Robinson RC. Annular constrictions of the digits. AMA Arch Derm Syphilol. Nov 1952;66(5):569-72. [Medline].

  7. Cunliffe WJ. Ainhum and pseudo-ainhum. In: Rook A, Wilkinson DS, Ebling FJ. Textbook of Dermatology. Vol 2. Oxford: Blackwell Scientific; 1979:1638.

  8. Demis DJ. Ainhum, pseudoainhum, and tourniquet syndrome. In: Demis DJ, Dobson RL, McGuire J. Clinical Dermatology. 7th ed. Hagerstown, Md: Harper & Row; 1979:4-47.

  9. Mallory SB. An Illustrated Dictionary of Dermatologic Syndromes. New York, NY: The Parthenon Publishing Group; 1994:Appendix.

  10. Castori M, Valiante M, Ritelli M, et al. Palmoplantar keratoderma, pseudo-ainhum, and universal atrichia: A new patient and review of the palmoplantar keratoderma-congenital alopecia syndrome. Am J Med Genet A. Aug 2010;152A(8):2043-7. [Medline].

  11. Bassetto F, Tiengo C, Sferrazza R, Belloni-Fortina A, Alaibac M. Vohwinkel syndrome: treatment of pseudo-ainhum. Int J Dermatol. Jan 2010;49(1):79-82. [Medline].

  12. Fetterman LE, Hardy R, Lehrer H. The clinico-roentgenologic features of ainhum. Am J Roentgenol Radium Ther Nucl Med. Jul 1967;100(3):512-22. [Medline].

  13. Jemmott T, Foster AV, Edmonds ME. An unusual cause of ulceration: ainhum (dactylolysis spontanea). Int Wound J. Sep 2007;4(3):251-4. [Medline].

  14. Rossiter JW, Anderson PC. Ainhum: treatment with intralesional steroids. Int J Dermatol. Jun 1976;15(5):379-82. [Medline].

  15. Allyn B, Leider M. Dactylolysis spontanea (ainhum). Report of a case treated by the surgical procedure known as Z-plasty. JAMA. May 25 1963;184:655-7. [Medline].

  16. Browne SG. Ainhum. Int J Dermatol. Jun 1976;15(5):348-50. [Medline].

  17. Dent DM, Fataar S, Rose AG. Ainhum and angiodysplasia. Lancet. Aug 22 1981;2(8243):396-7. [Medline].

  18. Hunt M, Glucksman EE. Ainhum presenting to the accident and emergency department. Arch Emerg Med. Dec 1993;10(4):324-7. [Medline].

  19. Kean BH, Tucker HA, Miller WC. Ainhum: a clinical summary of forty-five cases on the Isthmus of Panama. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 1946;39:331-4.

  20. Ramesh V, Misra RS, Mahaur BS. Pseudoainhum in porokeratosis of Mibelli. Cutis. Feb 1992;49(2):129-30. [Medline].

  21. Schulz EJ. Genodermatoses. Dermatol Clin. Oct 1994;12(4):787-96. [Medline].

  22. Sharma RC, Sharma AK, Sharma NL. Pseudo-ainhum in discoid lupus erythematosus. J Dermatol. Apr 1998;25(4):275-6. [Medline].

 
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Ainhum of the finger. Courtesy of Hon Pak, MD, and reviewed by Ross Levy, MD.
 
 
 
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