Comparison of Phenol Matricectomy and Nail-Splinting With a Flexible Tube for the Treatment of Ingrown Toenails.

Background The treatment of ingrown toenail is usually bothersome for patients and doctors. Objectives To compare two treatment techniques of ingrown toenails-phenol matricectomy ( PM) and nail-splinting using a flexible tube ( FT)-in terms of efficacy, postoperative pain, postoperative cosmetic satisfaction, amount of tissue damage, and recurrence. Methods and Materials One hundred twenty ingrown toenails were randomized and divided into PM and FT groups. All cases were evaluated 2 days and 1 and 6 months after treatment. Postoperative pain, cosmetic satisfaction, time to recovery, and recurrence rate were measured. Results Postoperative pain was less and cosmetic satisfaction was good in both groups ( p <.001). Our recurrence rate was 8.4%. There were no statistical differences between groups in these measures. Tissue improvement rate was 6% in the PM group and 93% in the FT group 2 days after the procedures ( p <.001). Conclusions Although FT provides faster recovery and less postoperative morbidity than PM, the techniques are equally effective in treating ingrown toenails. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]