Subungual pigmentation can have benign and malignant etiologies. A common and important differential diagnosis is between subungual hematoma and subungual acrolentiginous melanoma. This article describes some simple diagnostic tests that are used for detecting subungal pigmentation. Subungual pigmentation may have a variety of underlying pathologies, but clinicians should consider malignancies even if they are not common. The distinction can be difficult even with a dermoscope.
A delayed diagnosis can dramatically worsen the prognosis. Following section describes the diagnostic procedure used for subungual pigmentation. Case study A patient presents with a two-month history of a brownish pigmentation of the great toe nail. In such cases, the procedure to be followed: Haneke Procedure Soften the nail by soaking the foot in lukewarm water for 20 to 30 minutes and carefully, drive a 3 mm…
