Abstract:

        Objective: To investigate  the  curative effects of anatomy  reconstruction  of  nail  groove on ingrown toenails of the  hallux, and explore anatomic relationship between  ingrown  toenail  and  nail groove.  Methods: From April  2001  to  December  2007,  126  patients   with  ingrown  toenails  in  hallux  were  treated with wedge resection  of nail  fold  and  nail bed, and then nail groove was reconstructed. At the same time, the depth of nail groove of 40 cases was measured. Results: 110 cases (87.3%) healed by first intention, 12 cases (9.5%) by second intention, and  4 cases (3.2%) by third intention. The toenails grew well, with no pain and recurrence of panaritium. The nail groove depth of ingrown toenails  was  about (5.73±0.49 )mm in male and  (4.99±0.63)mm in female respectively, which presented significant sex difference（P<0.01）.Conclusions: The depth of nail groove deals with the occurrence of ingrown toenails of the hallux closely. Anatomy reconstruction of nail groove is an effective method to treat ingrown toenails of the hallux.

Key words: hallux, ingrown , toenails, nail , groove, anatomy reconstruction