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Onychomycosis is a very common disease, especially in podiatric medical practice. It can be associated with significant patient distress, major disability and pain, and is challenging to treat successfully. This is a case study of a 41-year-old man with distal lateral subungual onychomycosis of 5 years' duration. Forty percent of the great toenail was affected and a total of six toenails were involved. Baseline fungal cultures were positive for Trichophyton rubrum. This patient was treated with efinaconazole 10% solution, a new topical antifungal, once daily for 48 weeks. Mycological cure was noted at the first assessment period (12 weeks), and compete cure was seen at follow-up. This case study alerts physicians to a promising new topical treatment for onychomycosis under development, and to the importance of mycological cure as an early indicator of treatment success.
Acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM) is a disease that is found on the palms, soles, and nail beds. Because these areas are not often examined during general medical examinations, the presence of ALM often goes unnoticed or the diagnosis is delayed. Research shows that the misdiagnosis of ALM is common, reported between 20% and 34%. We present three cases of ALM that were initially misdiagnosed and referred to the senior author (B.C.M.) in an effort to assess why misdiagnosis is common. The existing literature illuminates clinical pitfalls in diagnosing ALM. The differential diagnosis of many different podiatric skin and nail disorders should include ALM. Although making the correct diagnosis is essential, the prognosis is affected by the duration of the disease and level of invasiveness. Unfortunately, most of the reported misdiagnosed cases are of a later stage and worse prognosis. This review highlights that foot and ankle specialists should meet suspect lesions with a heightened index of suspicion and perform biopsy when acral nonhealing wounds and/or lesions are nonresponsive to treatment.
It is accepted that immunosuppressant therapy after organ transplantation is associated with an increase risk of neoplasm. Subungual squamous cell carcinoma of the toe is a rare condition and has not previously been reported, to our knowledge, in patients undergoing immunosuppressant therapy. The objective of this case study is to report the clinical and histopathologic findings and the multidisciplinary treatment approach for a case of subungual squamous cell carcinoma of the toe in an organ transplant recipient undergoing immunosuppressant drug therapy. (J Am Podiatr Med Assoc 100(4): 304–308, 2010)
Syringoid eccrine carcinoma is a very rare skin cancer. We present a case of a 22-year-old woman with a presentation of syringoid eccrine carcinoma in the subungual region of the hallux. This clinical case demonstrates our work-up that led to a proper diagnosis and management of this pathology. We discuss our surgical procedure of choice and the outcome. This report adds valuable information to a limited database of knowledge available on the diagnosis and management of syringoid eccrine carcinomas.
Swelling of the leg is a frequent finding in podiatric medicine. Unless the patient draws notice to the condition or the physician is diligent in asking questions and examining the extremity, the condition may be viewed as minor and given little attention. Swelling of the leg can be a clinical sign of certain systemic diseases, lymphatic and venous disorders, or other miscellaneous causes. Dermatologic consequences linked to many of these causes of swelling are well documented. What is not as well chronicled is a dramatic skin alteration associated with chronic lymphedema. This article provides an overview and a case presentation of the unusual and debilitating skin condition related to chronic lymphedema of the lower extremity known as elephantiasis nostras verrucosa. (J Am Podiatr Med Assoc 96(5): 442–444, 2006)
Mycetoma cases are predominantly found in tropical regions and are a rare finding in the United States. These masses that are fungal or bacterial in origin can result in significant destruction of soft tissue and bone. We present a case of a patient who emigrated from Mexico to Indianapolis. He presented with a soft-tissue mass that was excised and ultimately found to be a eumycetoma of the hallux of his left foot. Successful treatment included surgical resection in combination with postoperative terbinafine, which was pulse dosed to decrease its impact on hepatic function.
Nail pathologies have a broad range of origin and may sometimes be complicated in presentation or clinical course, specifically when the pathology remains recalcitrant after treatment. In this case report we discuss a pathologic disorder that was initially misdiagnosed as a pyogenic granuloma surrounding an ingrown nail but was later found to be a benign neoplastic bone growth, Dupuytren exostosis, also known as a subungual exostosis. Operative treatment was deemed appropriate for the patient, and the exostosis was resected, leaving a soft-tissue void at the distal toe. The remaining void was filled with a perinatal graft, the use of which has been deemed effective anecdotally in both chronic and acute lower-extremity wounds but has not been widely discussed in the lower-extremity literature. This graft was placed to aid in wound healing over a potentially difficult wound bed. As amniotic, chorionic, and umbilical grafts become more prevalent in lower-extremity surgery, its antitumor effects should be further explored and published. This is the first case report, to our knowledge, of the successful use of a perinatal graft in the setting of a bone tumor, and it demonstrates that certain benign neoplasms can be treated with resection and placement of a perinatal graft while helping to prevent chronic wounds at surgical sites.
