Partial surgical avulsion of the nail in onychomycosis

Twenty cases of onychomycosis were treated with systemic or topical antifungal agents and surgical avulsion of part of the nail plate. This technique is suitable for onychomycosis of limited extent and results in reasonable remission rates while reducing the time needed for systemic therapy. The patients treated presented with either a dermatophyte infection (12) or Candida paronychia (8) with secondary nail plate invasion. The classification of nail disease caused by fungi is discussed and a number of modifications are suggested.