eMedicine Specialties > Emergency Medicine > Trauma & Orthopedics

Toenails, Ingrown: Differential Diagnoses & Workup

Author: Thomas E Benzoni, DO, Medical Director of Mercy Air Care, Consulting Staff, Department of Emergency Medicine, Mercy Medical Center
Contributor Information and Disclosures

Updated: Jul 24, 2008

Differential Diagnoses

Nailbed Injuries

Workup

Laboratory Studies

  • Lab studies have no use for ingrown toenails and should be directed at underlying disorders.

Imaging Studies

  • Radiography should be considered when it is necessary to rule out osteomyelitis (rare) or in the setting of trauma to rule out toe fractures (common).

Procedures

See Treatment.

More on Toenails, Ingrown

Overview: Toenails, Ingrown
Differential Diagnoses & Workup: Toenails, Ingrown
Treatment & Medication: Toenails, Ingrown
Follow-up: Toenails, Ingrown
Multimedia: Toenails, Ingrown
References

References

  1. Barker LR, Burton JR, Zieve PD. Principles of Ambulatory Medicine. 3rd ed. Williams & Wilkins; 1991.

  2. Bossers AM, Jansen IM, Eggink WF. Rational therapy for ingrown toenails. A prospective study. Acta Orthop Belg. 1992;58(3):325-9. [Medline].

  3. Fulton GJ, O'Donohoe MK, Reynolds JV, Keane FB, Tanner WA. Wedge resection alone or combined with segmental phenolization for the treatment of ingrowing toenail. Br J Surg. Jul 1994;81(7):1074-5. [Medline].

  4. Giacalone VF. Phenol matricectomy in patients with diabetes. J Foot Ankle Surg. Jul-Aug 1997;36(4):264-7; discussion 328. [Medline].

  5. Ingrown toenails. Last updated May 2007. Familydoctor.org. Available at http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/skin/disorders/208.html.

  6. Kimata Y, Uetake M, Tsukada S, Harii K. Follow-up study of patients treated for ingrown nails with the nail matrix phenolization method. Plast Reconstr Surg. Apr 1995;95(4):719-24. [Medline].

  7. Mori H, Umeda T, Nishioka K, et al. Ingrown nails: a comparison of the nail matrix phenolization method with the elevation of the nail bed-periosteal flap procedure. J Dermatol. Jan 1998;25(1):1-4. [Medline].

  8. Ozdemir E, Bostanci S, Ekmekci P, Gurgey E. Chemical matricectomy with 10% sodium hydroxide for the treatment of ingrowing toenails. Dermatol Surg. Jan 2004;30(1):26-31. [Medline].

  9. Sauer GC. Manual of Skin Diseases. JB Lippincott; 1985.

  10. Wollina U. Modified Emmet's operation for ingrown nails using the Er:YAG laser. J Cosmet Laser Ther. May 2004;6(1):38-40. [Medline].

  11. Zaborszky Z, Fekete L, Tauzin F, Orgovan G. Treatment of ingrowing toenail with segmental chemical ablation. Acta Chir Hung. 1997;36(1-4):398-400. [Medline].

Further Reading

Keywords

ingrown toenail, sore toe, sore toenail, painful toe, swollen toe, unguis incarnatus, mycoses, chemical cautery, tender toe, diabetes, arterial insufficiency, lymphangitis

Contributor Information and Disclosures

Author

Thomas E Benzoni, DO, Medical Director of Mercy Air Care, Consulting Staff, Department of Emergency Medicine, Mercy Medical Center
Thomas E Benzoni, DO is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Emergency Physicians, American College of Osteopathic Emergency Physicians, American Osteopathic Association, and Iowa Medical Society
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Medical Editor

Theodore J Gaeta, DO, MPH, FACEP, Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, Joan and Sanford Weill Medical College at Cornell University; Vice Chairman and Program Director of Emergency Medicine Residency Program, Department of Emergency Medicine, New York Methodist Hospital; Academic Chair, Adjunct Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, St George's University School of Medicine
Theodore J Gaeta, DO, MPH, FACEP is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Emergency Physicians, Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors, New York Academy of Medicine, New York Academy of Medicine, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Pharmacy Editor

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD, Senior Pharmacy Editor, eMedicine
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Managing Editor

Tom Scaletta, MD, Past-President, American Academy of Emergency Medicine; Chairperson, Department of Emergency Medicine, Edward Hospital; Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, Rush Medical College and Cook County Hospital
Tom Scaletta, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Emergency Medicine and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

CME Editor

John D Halamka, MD, MS, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Chief Information Officer, CareGroup Healthcare System and Harvard Medical School; Attending Physician, Division of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
John D Halamka, MD, MS is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Emergency Physicians, American Medical Informatics Association, Phi Beta Kappa, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Rick Kulkarni, MD, Medical Director, Assistant Professor of Surgery, Section of Emergency Medicine, Yale-New Haven Hospital
Rick Kulkarni, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American Academy of Emergency Medicine, American College of Emergency Physicians, American Medical Association, American Medical Informatics Association, Phi Beta Kappa, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
Disclosure: WebMD Salary Employment

 
 
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