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.

The effect of using custom or stock trays on the accuracy of gypsum casts.

This study examined the linear dimensional stability of nonaqueous elastomeric impressions made from stock and custom trays by measuring casts derived from those impressions at 1 hour, 1 day, and 1 week. There was a small statistical difference among casts produced from stock versus custom trays compared to the master model. However, there was no significant difference in casts produced from impressions poured at 1 hour, 1 day, and 1 week. A custom tray with a 2.0 to 2.5 mm tray spacing had the least amount of variation, yet the differences between custom and stock trays may not be clinically significant.