Onychomycosis (eBook)

DIMITRIS RIGOPOULOS, MD, is Professor of Dermatology and Venereology at the Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece. BONI ELEWSKI, MD, is Professor and Chair of Dermatology at the University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL, USA. BERTRAND RICHERT, MD, PhD, is Professor of Dermatology and Clinical Professor at Brugmann St Pierre and Queen Fabiola Children's University Hospitals, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium.

List of Contributors vii

1 The History of Onychomycosis 1
Bárdur Sigurgeirsson

2 Epidemiology of Onychomycosis 13
Mahmoud A. Ghannoum, Iman Salem, and Luisa Christensen

3 Tinea Pedis and Onychomycosis 21
David de Berker

4 Clinical Features: Classification 31
Roderick J. Hay

5 Grading Onychomycosis 41
Anna Q. Hare and Phoebe Rich

6a Routine and Emerging Techniques in Onychomycosis Diagnosis
Shari R. Lipner, Richard K. Scher, and Adam I. Rubin 47

6b Histopathology of Onychomycosis 60
Josette André

6c Dermoscopy in the Diagnosis of Onychomycosis 66
Bianca Maria Piraccini, Aurora Alessandrini, Francesca Bruni, and Michela Starace

7 Differential Diagnosis of Onychomycosis 75
Dimitris Rigopoulos and Bertrand Richert

8 Predicting the Outcome of Treatment: Prognostic Factors 83
Bárdur Sigurgeirsson

9a Topical Therapies for Onychomycosis 103
Casey Wang, Theresa Canavan, and Boni Elewski

9b Systemic Treatment of Onychomycosis 118
Austin John Maddy and Antonella Tosti

9c(i) Laser Devices in the Treatment of Onychomycosis 123
Dimitris Rigopoulos, Christos Prevezas, and Ioanna Triantafyllopoulou

9c(ii) Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) in the Treatment of Onychomycosis 133
Elena Sotiriou and Dimitris Ioannides

9c(iii) Onychomycosis and Iontophoresis 141
Avner Shemer

9c(iv) Nail Drilling 146
Pauline Lecerf

9d Physical Treatment of Onychomycosis 150
Bertrand Richert

9e Onychomycosis: Algorithm 160
Bertrand Richert

9f Prevention of Relapse and Re-Infection: Prophylaxis 162
Eckart Haneke

10 Future Treatments for Onychomycosis 173
Aditya K. Gupta and Sarah G. Versteeg

11 Onychomycosis in Special Populations 187
Nilton Di Chiacchio and Nilton Gioia Di Chiacchio

12 Onychomycosis: The Podiatric Physician Perspective 197
Lauren Dabakaroff, Tyrone A. Mayorga, and Bryan C. Markinson

13 Home Remedies for Onychomycosis 207
Jane S. Bellet and C. Ralph Daniel, III

Index 213

Description
Onychomycosis probably has more "treatments" than virtually any other dermatological condition. Why? Because there isn't any one treatment that is 100% effective or even works the majority of the time, even when using it for a year! Fungal nail infections are inherently frustrating to cure and have always been a difficult and often impossible endeavor for dermatologists. This book covers every imaginable treatment, including those with little supporting data (the authors state this when it applies).

Purpose
The purpose is to educate dermatologists on all current approaches that are available for treating onychomycosis. Limitations and risks of each therapy are reviewed.

Audience
The audience is dermatologists.

Features
Laser, topical, and systemic medications, surgery, and home topical remedies are all discussed. There are numerous photographs, but, unfortunately, most are not in color. There is a therapeutic algorithm for guiding readers in choosing a reasonable treatment path based on clinical presentation and prior drugs used.

Tables listing criteria for a surgical approach, oral antifungal medications, and predisposing medical illness that contribute to making clearance more problematic are helpfully included. There are photographs showing clinical appearance of infected toenails from different dermatophtyes and nondermatophyte molds. Tips for using the dermatoscope for confirming onychomycosis are discussed. Surgical debridement is covered in detail. One would be able to perform the procedure after reading the book.

Assessment
This is the definitive book on diagnosing and treating onychomycosis. The latest research and practical expertise from experts specializing in onychomycosis are neatly presented in one package. Other books do not cover the subject as extensively--onychomycosis is generally tacked on as a chapter in a nail disorder book.

"This is the definitive book on diagnosing and treating onychomycosis."
--Patricia Wong, MD, Stanford University Medical Center (Doody's Review Service)