Photo Credit: Graphic_BKK1979
The following is a summary of “Nailfold capillaroscopy for diagnosis of onychodystrophies: A prospective cross-sectional study,” published in the January 2025 issue of Dermatology by Hwang et al.
Nail diseases, which cause significant physical and psychosocial burdens, are challenging to diagnose due to nonspecific clinical and histological findings, and while nail fold capillaroscopy has been studied for diagnosing systemic diseases, research on its use for nail diseases is limited.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to characterize and compare capillary changes in various nail conditions versus controls between nail groups based on demographic and clinical criteria.
They included patients with nail psoriasis, onychomycosis, idiopathic onycholysis, brittle nail syndrome, nail lichen planus, retronychia, other nail conditions, and no nail findings (controls) for capillaroscopy imaging/analysis.
The results showed that patients with nail psoriasis had shorter capillaries, lower density, and more abnormal capillaries, especially among older male patients, compared to controls. Onychomycosis was linked to increased meandering capillaries when compared to controls, nail psoriasis, and nail lichen planus. Retronychia showed a higher frequency of disorganized polymorphic capillaries compared to controls and onychomycosis.
Investigators concluded the potential of nailfold capillaroscopy as a valuable, quick, cost-effective, and noninvasive imaging tool that might aid in the diagnosis and initiation of treatment for patients with onychodystrophies.
Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0190962224027592
