Prevalence of onychomycosis among psoriasis patients: a clinico-mycological and dermoscopic comparative cross sectional study.

Onychomycosis, a nail infection caused by dermatophytes, yeast, and molds makes up roughly half of all onychopathies and is the most prevalent nail condition in the world. Clinically, nail psoriasis and onychomycosis can frequently be difficult to distinguish from one another. To assess the prevalence of onychomycosis in patients with psoriasis. Fifty patients with psoriasis associated with nail disease were included in this study. After taking clinical history, nail samples were gathered for dermoscopic inspection, culture, direct microscopy with 20% KOH solution, and nail clipping with PAS stain. Of the 50 patients recruited, 43 were males and 7 were females, with mean age 6-71 years (mean ± SD 44.06 ± 16.2). Eleven patients (22%) tested positive for onychomycosis. Dermatophytes were isolated from 2% of patients, yeast from 14% of patients, and non-dermatophytic mold from 38% of patients. Histopathological results revealed fungal hyphae and spores in 18% of patients. The most prevalent dermoscopic sign in psoriatic patients with onychomycosis was spikes (81.8%) with statistical significance (P-value < 0.001), while nail pitting was the most prevalent dermoscopic feature in nail psoriasis. This study lays the way for an accurate diagnosis of nail lesions by highlighting the significance of cooperation between mycology, histology, and dermoscopy in the diagnosis of onychomycosis in patients with nail psoriasis.

Fractional CO2 laser ablation leads to enhanced permeation of a fluorescent dye in healthy and mycotic nails-An imaging investigation of laser-tissue effects and their impact on ungual drug delivery.

PURPOSE: Conventional oral antifungal therapies for onychomycosis (OM) often do not achieve complete cure and may be associated with adverse effects, medical interactions, and compliance issues restricting their use in a large group of patients. Topical treatment can bypass the systemic side effects but is limited by the physical barrier of the nail plate. Ablative fractional laser (AFL) treatment can be used to improve the penetration of topical drugs into the nail. This study visualized the effects of laser ablation of nail tissue and assessed their impact on the biodistribution of a fluorescent dye in healthy and fungal nail tissue. METHODS: For the qualitative assessment of CO2 AFL effects on healthy nail tissue, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microscopy (CARS-M), and widefield fluorescence microscopy (WFM) were used. To quantitate the effect of laser-pretreatment on the delivery of a fluorescent dye, ATTO-647N, into healthy and fungal nail tissue, ablation depth, nail plate thickness, and ATTO-647N fluorescence intensity in three nail plate layers were measured using WFM. A total of 30 nail clippings (healthy n = 18, fungal n = 12) were collected. An aqueous ATTO-647N solution was directly applied to the dorsal surface of 24 nail samples (healthy n = 12, fungal n = 12) and incubated for 4 hours, of which half (healthy n = 6, fungal n = 6) had been pretreated with AFL (30 mJ/mb, 15% density, 300 Hz, pulse duration <1 ms). RESULTS: Imaging revealed a three-layered nail structure, an AFL-induced porous ablation crater, and changes in autofluorescence. While intact fungal samples showed a 106% higher ATTO-647N signal intensity than healthy controls, microporation led to a significantly increased fluorophore permeation in all samples (p < 0.0001). AFL processing of nail tissue enhanced topical delivery of ATTO-647N in all layers, (average increase: healthy +108%, fungal +33%), most pronounced in the top nail layer (healthy +122%, fungal +68%). While proportionally deeper ablation craters correlated moderately with higher fluorescence intensities in healthy nail tissue, fungal samples showed no significant relationship. CONCLUSION: Fractional CO2 laser microporation is a simple way of enhancing the passive delivery of topically applied ATTO-647N. Although the impaired nail plate barrier in OM leads to greater diffusion of the aqueous solution, AFL can increase the permeability of both structurally deficient and intact nails.

Deep learning-based diagnosis models for onychomycosis in dermoscopy.

BACKGROUND: Onychomycosis is a common disease. Emerging noninvasive, real-time techniques such as dermoscopy and deep convolutional neural networks have been proposed for the diagnosis of onychomycosis. However, deep learning application in dermoscopic images has not been reported. OBJECTIVES: To explore the establishment of deep learning-based diagnostic models for onychomycosis in dermoscopy to improve the diagnostic efficiency and accuracy. METHODS: We evaluated the dermoscopic patterns of onychomycosis diagnosed at Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Guangzhou, China, from May 2019 to February 2021 and included nail psoriasis and traumatic onychodystrophy as control groups. Based on the dermoscopic images and the characteristic dermoscopic patterns of onychomycosis, we gain the faster region-based convolutional neural networks to distinguish between nail disorder and normal nail, onychomycosis and non-mycological nail disorder (nail psoriasis and traumatic onychodystrophy). The diagnostic performance is compared between deep learning-based diagnosis models and dermatologists. RESULTS: All of 1,155 dermoscopic images were collected, including onychomycosis (603 images), nail psoriasis (221 images), traumatic onychodystrophy (104 images) and normal cases (227 images). Statistical analyses revealed subungual keratosis, distal irregular termination, longitudinal striae, jagged edge, and marble-like turbid area, and cone-shaped keratosis were of high specificity (>82%) for onychomycosis diagnosis. The deep learning-based diagnosis models (ensemble model) showed test accuracy /specificity/ sensitivity /Youden index of (95.7%/98.8%/82.1%/0.809) and (87.5%/93.0%/78.5%/0.715) for nail disorder and onychomycosis. The diagnostic performance for onychomycosis using ensemble model was superior to 54 dermatologists. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated that onychomycosis had distinctive dermoscopic patterns, compared with nail psoriasis and traumatic onychodystrophy. The deep learning-based diagnosis models showed a diagnostic accuracy of onychomycosis, superior to dermatologists.

Clinical, dermoscopic, and histopathological evaluations of patients with nail disorders.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the possible role of dermoscopy in the diagnosis of different nail disorders compared with the clinical and histopathological diagnosis. METHODS: This study included 104 patients with nail disorders of both sex and any age. All the patients were subjected to a detailed medical history taken, clinical general examination, clinical and dermoscopic examinations of 20 nails. Potassium hydroxide examination was used to examine all patients with suspicious of onychomycosis. Histopathological evaluation was used to examine clinically ambiguous nail disorders. RESULTS: The most common nail diseases were onychomycosis (54.81%) followed by nail psoriasis (19.2%) and nail lichen planus (3.8%). CONCLUSION: Clinical evaluation was important in the diagnosis of different nail diseases. Nail dermoscopy could confirm clinical diagnosis and help in getting an accurate diagnosis of nail diseases and guide in the management of nail diseases by permitting better visualization of nail structure and pathology. The histopathological examination provided the most definitive method in reaching an accurate diagnosis due to it could provide etiologic, diagnostic, and prognostic information. There was a good agreement between clinical, dermoscopic, and histopathological examinations for accurate diagnosis of different nail diseases.

Sulphur Nuggets.

BACKGROUND: Dermoscopy is a new method to diagnose and manage nail disorders. The definite dermoscopic finding for onychomycosis, however, is still debatable. OBJECTIVE: To identify the dermoscopic features that help differentiate between onychomycosis (OM) and traumatic onychodystrophy (TOD). METHODS: A prospective study of 65 patients with toenail abnormalities was conducted. The patients were classified into OM and TOD groups using mycological tests (potassium hydroxide test, fungal culture, and histological examination). OM was diagnosed from positive results for all tests, while TOD was decided based on negative results for all tests and evidence of foot trauma. Dermoscopic features were recorded and compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Most patients of the 65 patients were female (72.3%), and had a mean age of 67.9 years. Twenty-seven patients (41.5%) were diagnosed with OM, all of which were distal and lateral subungual onychomycosis. TOD, on the other hand, was determined in 38 patients. Dermoscopic findings revealed that the yellow, clumping, sulphur-nugget-like debris in the ruin appearance was significantly associated with onychomycosis (p = 0.002), while ruin appearance without sulphur nugget was not statistically correlated with onychomycosis (p = 0.068). CONCLUSION: The presence of sulphur nuggets in the ruin appearance is a new and helpful dermoscopic feature for onychomycosis diagnosis.

Dermoscopy of Onychomycosis for the Podiatrist.

Onychomycosis is one of the most frequent nail pathologies in podiatry practices. Differential diagnoses with the clinical presentation may delay an accurate diagnosis and timely treatment. This article discusses the technique and benefits of using a dermatoscope to improve patient care of this common disorder.

Onychoscopy in a Colombian population with a diagnosis of toenail onychomycosis: an evaluation study for this diagnostic test.

BACKGROUND: Onychoscopy is a technique that uses a dermatoscope for the evaluation of specific features of different skin conditions that are not visible to the naked eye. There are few studies establishing parameters for the diagnosis of onychomycosis based on onychoscopy. Determining the sensitivity and specificity of a potentially new diagnostic test for onychomycosis requires an evaluation study of this new diagnostic test, as there are limited studies reporting onychoscopy results. AIM: To determine the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of onychoscopy findings in a Colombian population with onychomycosis. METHODS: We assessed outpatients with a diagnosis of toenail onychomycosis confirmed by potassium hydroxide preparation or fungal culture. Onychoscopy was performed using a dermatoscope, and digital images collected using a smartphone. RESULTS: The onychoscopy findings were: longitudinal striae, distal spiked pattern, distal irregular termination, linear edge and ruins aspect, while some patients were confirmed as having traumatic onycholysis. A statistically significant association was found between the clinical symptoms of onychomycosis and both the clinical feature of dyschromia and the onychoscopy feature of longitudinal striae. CONCLUSION: We suggest that this technique is an alternative method that should be used in patients with onychopathies because it has the potential to differentiate onychomycosis from traumatic onycholysis and another nail involvement.

Onychoscopy: a quick and effective tool for diagnosing onychomycosis in a resource-poor setting.

INTRODUCTION: Onychomycosis is the most prevalent nail disease. Although clinical diagnosis of onychomycosis is easy, fungal culture as a confirmatory test requires an equipped laboratory and is time-consuming. Onychoscopy is a simple, quick, and inexpensive technique and may help clinicians increase the diagnostic accuracy of onychomycosis. The aim of this study was to identify common onychoscopic patterns of onychomycosis and correlate them with clinical subtypes of onychomycosis. METHODS: This study was performed in the dermatology outpatient department of a tertiary care hospital in northern India for 6 months. Clinically diagnosed cases of onychomycosis were confirmed by potassium hydroxide (KOH) mount. After obtaining informed written consent, these patients underwent onychoscopy with DermLite II hybrid m, 3Gen, polarized mode, 10× magnification. The common onychoscopic patterns were recorded and the data analyzed. RESULTS: The study included 60 confirmed cases of onychomycosis. The common onychoscopic patterns observed were jagged edges with spikes of the onycholytic area in 65.5% of cases, longitudinal striae in 77.6%, distal irregular termination or a "ruin pattern" in 82.7%, and chromonychia in 62.1%. Clinical types of onychomycosis showed a statistically significant association with chromonychia (p = 0.000), jagged edges with spikes (p = 0.015), and distal irregular termination (p = 0.016). CONCLUSIONS: Onychoscopy can be a complementary tool in clinical diagnosis of onychomycosis to alleviate the need for direct microscopy and culture.

Noninvasive Assessment of Mycotic Nail Tissue Using an Ultraviolet Fluorescence Excitation Imaging System.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Mycological diagnosis of onychomycosis is based on direct microscopy using external fluorophores to visualize fungal tissue in nail samples and agar culture. Ultraviolet fluorescence excitation imaging (u-FEI) has shown potential in monitoring biological processes by exploiting variations in autofluorescence. This study aimed at assessing the potential of a handheld u-FEI system as a practical screening tool for fungal nail infections. STUDY DESIGN/MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ninety samples from 29 patients with microscopy-confirmed fungal infection and 10 control samples from healthy participants were collected (n = 100). Using a prototype u-FEI system (single bandpass 25 mm filter with a central pass wavelength of 340 nm and a bandwidth of 12 nm, 295 nm excitation flash, resolution of 640 × 480), images of all samples were acquired under standardized conditions. Average and maximum fluorescence intensity image values in arbitrary units (AU) of manually delineated regions of interests were quantitated and statistically assessed for significant differences between healthy and mycotic samples. RESULTS: UV-images clearly depicted all 100 nail samples, with a visibly stronger signal in infected samples. Statistically significant differences (P < 0.05) in signal intensity between mycotic samples and healthy controls were observed for maximum and average fluorescence values. Mean fluorescence values of onychomycotic samples showed 23.9% higher maximum (mycotic: 34.9 AU [standard deviation [SD] 4.7]; healthy: 28.2 AU [SD 1.9]) and 10.2% higher average (mycotic: 27.6 AU [SD 2.0]; healthy: 25.0 AU [SD 0.7]) signal intensity values. Receiver operating characteristic curves demonstrated excellent discriminatory ability (area under the curve > 0.9). Analysis of fluorescence measurements of the reference standard demonstrated very low variation (coefficient of variation = 0.62%) CONCLUSION: Quantitation of u-FEI intensities enables differentiation between healthy and mycotic nail samples, constituting a potential point-of-care tool for cost-effective screening for onychomycosis at a primary care level. Lasers Surg. Med. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC.

Severe onychomycosis management with oral terbinafine in a kidney transplantation setting: Clinical follow-up by image analysis.

BACKGROUND: Severe onychomycosis treatment in kidney transplant recipients (KTR) is challenging because of drug interactions and adverse events. Tacrolimus remains the antirejection treatment (ART) of choice in kidney transplantation but tolerance with systemic terbinafine for the management of severe onychomycosis has not been studied. OBJECTIVE: This study illustrates severe onychomycosis management in a kidney transplantation setting and investigates systemic terbinafine tolerance profile in KTR. PATIENTS/METHODS: We retrospective analysed clinical data of KTR with a confirmed diagnosis of severe onychomycosis. RESULTS: We retrieved a total of 29 KTR with severe onychomycosis needing an oral treatment to manage onychomycosis. In 55.1% (16/29) KTR, altered renal biological parameters or lack of guidelines to manage severe onychomycosis were the main reasons to deterring clinicians from prescribing oral treatments. 13 patients received an oral terbinafine treatment (9, 3 and 1 with a tacrolimus, cyclosporine and everolimus-based ART, respectively). Clinical and biological follow-up did not reveal severe drug interactions. ART blood levels showed significant variations in 2 patients without clinical consequences in renal graft. Two patients reported mild adverse events but after only one dose of terbinafine. Using an open-source image analysis program, clinical evolution of onychomycosis could be retrospectively quantified and followed up. CONCLUSIONS: The results presented here suggest that oral terbinafine can be proposed to treat severe onychomycosis with an acceptable tolerance profile in KTR with different ART such as tacrolimus and highlight the need of multicentric studies to establish guidelines for onychomycosis treatment in KTR.

Dermoscopic Features of Toenail Onychomycosis.

BACKGROUND: Onychomycosis is the most common infectious nail disorder. Direct mycologic examination is still the cornerstone of diagnosis; however, it may take several weeks to obtain a result. Recently some dermoscopic patterns that can be useful in the diagnosis of onychomycosis were described. However, published data on dermoscopic features of onychomycosis are still limited. METHODS: We performed a prospective dermoscopic study of patients with positive fungal culture between April and December 2016. Patients with a final diagnosis of psoriasis or lichen planus were excluded from the study. Dermoscopy (polarized and nonpolarized) was performed. RESULTS: Thirty-seven patients were enrolled, 24 women and 13 men (median ± SD age, 48.6 ± 16.1 years). Nail samples were culture positive for Trichophyton rubrum (89.2%), Trichophyton interdigitale (8.1%), and Candida albicans (2.7%). Distal and lateral subungual onychomycosis was the most frequent clinical subtype (59.5%). The most frequent dermoscopic features were subungual keratosis (73.0%), distal subungual longitudinal striae (70.3%), spikes of the proximal margin of an onycholytic area (59.5%), transverse superficial leukonychia (29.7%), and linear hemorrhage (13.5%). Brown chromonychia was most frequently seen with nonpolarized dermoscopy (66.6% versus 24%; P = .027). CONCLUSIONS: Specific dermoscopic signs of onychomycosis are mostly related to the proximal invasion of the nail plate. Detection of these signs is simple and can, in some cases, help avoid mycologic testing.

Prospective, comparative evaluation of a deep neural network and dermoscopy in the diagnosis of onychomycosis.

BACKGROUND: Onychomycosis is the most common nail disorder and is associated with diagnostic challenges. Emerging non-invasive, real-time techniques such as dermoscopy and deep convolutional neural networks have been proposed for the diagnosis of this condition. However, comparative studies of the two tools in the diagnosis of onychomycosis have not previously been conducted. OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the diagnostic abilities of a deep neural network (http://nail.modelderm.com) and dermoscopic examination in patients with onychomycosis. METHODS: A prospective observational study was performed in patients presenting with dystrophic features in the toenails. Clinical photographs were taken by research assistants, and the ground truth was determined either by direct microscopy using the potassium hydroxide test or by fungal culture. Five board-certified dermatologists determined a diagnosis of onychomycosis using the clinical photographs. The diagnosis was also made using the algorithm and dermoscopic examination. RESULTS: A total of 90 patients (mean age, 55.3; male, 43.3%) assessed between September 2018 and July 2019 were included in the analysis. The detection of onychomycosis using the algorithm (AUC, 0.751; 95% CI, 0.646-0.856) and that by dermoscopy (AUC, 0.755; 95% CI, 0.654-0.855) were seen to be comparable (Delong's test; P = 0.952). The sensitivity and specificity of the algorithm at the operating point were 70.2% and 72.7%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of diagnosis by the five dermatologists were 73.0% and 49.7%, respectively. The Youden index of the algorithm (0.429) was also comparable to that of the dermatologists' diagnosis (0.230±0.176; Wilcoxon rank-sum test; P = 0.667). CONCLUSIONS: As a standalone method, the algorithm analyzed photographs taken by non-physician and showed comparable accuracy for the diagnosis of onychomycosis to that made by experienced dermatologists and by dermoscopic examination. Large sample size and world-wide, multicentered studies should be investigated to prove the performance of the algorithm.

Visualisation of penetration of topical antifungal drug substances through mycosis-infected nails by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation mass spectrometry imaging.

BACKGROUND: Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI) is a mass spectrometry-based technique, which can be applied for compound-specific imaging of pharmaceuticals in tissues samples. MALDI-MSI technology is widely used to visualise penetration and distribution profile through different tissues but has never been used with nail tissue. OBJECTIVES: This study used MALDI-MSI technology to visualise distribution profile and penetration into ex vivo human mycosis-infected toenails of three antifungal active ingredients amorolfine, ciclopirox and naftifine contained in topical onychomycosis nail treatment preparations, marketed as Loceryl® , Ciclopoli® and Exoderil® . METHODS: Three mycosis-infected toenails were used for each treatment condition. Six and twenty-four hours after one single topical application of antifungal drugs, excess of formulation was removed, nails were cryo-sectioned at a thickness of 20 µm, and MALDI matrix was deposited on each nail slice. Penetration and distribution profile of amorolfine, ciclopirox and naftifine in the nails were analysed by MALDI-MSI. RESULTS: All antifungal actives have been visualised in the nail by MALDI-MSI. Ciclopirox and naftifine molecules showed a highly localised distribution in the uppermost layer of the nail plate. In comparison, amorolfine diffuses through the nail plate to the deep layers already 6 hours after application and keeps diffusing towards the lowest nail layers within 24 hours. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows for the first-time distribution and penetration of certain antifungal actives into human nails using MALDI-MSI analysis. The results showed a more homogeneous distribution of amorolfine to nail and a better penetration through the infected nails than ciclopirox and naftifine.

Nail dermoscopy (onychoscopy) findings in the diagnosis of primary onychomycosis: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Diagnosis of onychomycosis involves direct microscopic examination with potassium hydroxide, culture or histopathology with periodic acid-Schiff staining. Nail dermoscopy (onychoscopy) is a noninvasive, rapid and easily available diagnostic tool though its utility in onychomycosis remains unexplored. OBJECTIVE: To describe the various onychoscopic patterns and compare its percentage positivity with that of standard potassium hydroxide examination, culture and histopathology in patients with a clinical diagnosis of onychomycosis. METHODS: The study recruited 100 patients with a presumptive clinical diagnosis of onychomycosis. A detailed history, physical examination including that of nails and clinical photography was followed by onychoscopy with DermLite DL3. The nail clippings were sent for direct microscopic examination with potassium hydroxide, mycological culture and histopathology with periodic acid-Schiff stain. The patient was said to have onychomycosis if at least one of the three tests was positive. RESULTS: Onychomycosis was confirmed by potassium hydroxide and/or culture and/or histopathology in 88 patients. Onychoscopic features were identified and their association with different clinical variants of onychomycosis was attempted. Percentage positivity for diagnosing onychomycosis in decreasing order was: direct microscopic examination with potassium hydroxide followed by spiked pattern, subungual hyperkeratosis, distal irregular termination on onychoscopy, histopathology, mycological culture and ruins aspect again observed on onychoscopy. LIMITATIONS: Small sample size. CONCLUSIONS: Many onychoscopic features are highly specific for different variants of onychomycosis so onychoscopy may serve as an important and quick adjunct to diagnose onychomycosis until other time-consuming investigations, such as culture and periodic acid-Schiff become available. Studies on a larger population will help arrive at a logistic conclusion.

Different Numbers of Long-Pulse 1064-nm Nd-YAG Laser Treatments for Onychomycosis: A Pilot Study.

PURPOSE: To examine the benefits of different numbers of 1064-nm Nd-YAG laser treatments in patients with onychomycosis. METHODS: This was a pilot study of patients with onychomycosis who were divided into three groups: four treatment sessions (group A), eight sessions (group B), and 12 sessions (group C). Only infected nails of degrees II-III (Scoring Clinical Index for Onychomycosis) were included. Treatment was given once a week using a long-pulse Nd-YAG 1064-nm laser. Patients were followed at 8, 16, and 24 weeks after the first treatment. Side effects were recorded. RESULTS: Treatments were completed for 442 nails in 102 patients. The efficacy rates at 8, 16, and 24 weeks were 35.5%, 38.7%, and 37.4% for group A; 31.4%, 41.7%, and 44.0% for group B; and 27.7%, 50.0%, and 55.4% for group C, respectively. There was a significant difference in the efficacy rate at 24 weeks (P = 0.016) between groups A and C, but not for groups A vs. B, or for groups B vs. C. No difference in the efficacy rate at 8 or 16 weeks was observed among the three groups. In all three groups, the efficacy was better for degree II nails than for degree III nails (all P = 0.016) between groups A and C, but not for groups A vs. B, or for groups B vs. C. No difference in the efficacy rate at 8 or 16 weeks was observed among the three groups. In all three groups, the efficacy was better for degree II nails than for degree III nails (all. CONCLUSIONS: The 1064-nm Nd-YAG laser had clinical benefits against onychomycosis. Higher numbers of treatments provided better long-term (24-week) benefits, but had no impact on the short-term outcomes. The efficacy of laser treatment on degree II onychomycosis was better than for degree III.

Optical coherence tomography of onychomycosis: proposed terminology and a suggestion of practical usage.

Onychomycosis is the most common cause of nail changes accounting for about half of all nail diseases. It is important to diagnose the fungal pathogen to prescribe adequate treatment, but as genus- and species-specific diagnostic tests can be time consuming and expensive, it is crucial to obtain representative tissue during nail scrapings. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a non-invasive imaging tool enabling real-time imaging of skin and tissue. Pilot studies using OCT have described morphological characteristics of onychomycosis, though diagnostic criteria of onychomycosis and other nail diseases are lacking. The aim of this study is to investigate the applicability of OCT to detect and localize fungal elements in nails with clinical signs of onychomycosis. OCT scans and nail scrapings were performed on all participants and only confirmed cases of onychomycosis were included in the data analysis. All scans were analyzed, and a set of morphological criteria based on known literature and deviations from healthy nail morphology were suggested. The suggested morphological features were: hyperreflective lines divided into sharply and diffusely demarcated; hyperreflective dots divided into singular and clustered patterns; irregular surface, divided into mild, moderate and severe degree; dark bands and disturbed architecture. The suggested OCT morphology is a refinement of previous studies, and though OCT cannot replace genus- or species-specific identification, it could be a useful assistance tool to increase diagnostic sensitivity of nail scrapings and laboratory tests as well as for monitoring treatment response.

A prospective study using image analysis to assess the efficacy of a topical treatment kit for mild onychomycosis.

BACKGROUND: Onychomycosis is a fungal infection of the nails and is one of the most common dermatological infections worldwide. Infection occurs predominantly in the nails of the feet and if left untreated patients, particularly in at-risk populations, can develop more serious complications, including pain, fissuring and secondary infections. Fungal infections are also contagious and may spread to other nails or to family members. Topical treatments can be effective for mild cases of the disease and typically have fewer contraindications. However, generation of robust efficacy data for topical therapies is often hindered by the difficulties associated with monitoring progression of mild onychomycosis using the conventional methods of mycological culture to obtain confirmation of podiatrist assessments. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to demonstrate image analysis as an effective method to monitor progression of fungal nail infections. METHODS: A novel digital image analysis technique was used to evaluate improvement in the visual signs of onychomycosis, when using a topical treatment kit for mild fungal nail infections in 60 participants over a 280-day period. RESULTS: Image analysis demonstrated a significant (P < .0001) reduction from baseline of the affected nail area throughout the study period, results which were also perceived by the subjects themselves. Use of the treatment kit also limited the deterioration of the infection and prevented transmission to other nails. CONCLUSIONS: Image analysis was established as a viable method to monitor the progression of fungal nail infections over long periods and demonstrate a clinical benefit following treatment.