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Ectopic Foot Nails: Clinical and Dermoscopic Features, Treatment and Outcome in 20 Cases.
Ena P, Ena L, Ferrari M, Mazzarello V.
Dermatology. 2015 Sep 2

 

OMG! ... look at the picture of what they think is an ectopic nail!!!!! They look like corns to me!

 

Unfortunately, this is not the first published paper where the authors have discussed treatment or investigation of a skin lesion, only for the pic to reveal an altogether different manifestation!

Hence, never judge a paper by its abstract.

They may have been forgiven if they had misdiagnosed cutaneous horn on the foot....
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a...nsioner-three-TOENAIL-HORNS-growing-foot.html

...then again. Not. These often have SCC at the base, but that`s another story.

 

Never mind the utter stupidity of the hard corn mix up. In biology, back to basics. Nails, and indeed their claw precursors, have their origins as a plantar structure. This is why, as they migrate dorsally, they take with them their nerve supplies. If I was (and I am not) an embryologist investigating this issue, I would be looking for a plantar nerve supply. It is not mentioned. In the meantime, pass me a scalpel!

 

Presumably the authors are dermatologists? Would anybody who takes this journal, or has access, please post the replies in the following number's letters page?

Many thanks

Bill

 

I`d love to, Bill. But, I don`t really fancy spending 25 squid for the privilege....anyone here have access that I could utilise?

 

A Case of Congenital Ectopic Nail Located on the Left 5th Toe
Jun Hong Park, Jun Young Kim and Weon Ju Lee
Ann Dermatol. 2019 Feb;31(1):112-114

 

Nope. Its just a corn.

 

*snigger

 

That's interesting. I didn't know corns could be congenital. How common is that?

 

They are not. Look at the image in the paper and the pathology report. Its a corn.

And the "No abnormality of bony structure of left 5th distal phalanx." !!! - pretty obvious why the corn is in that spot

 

The authors claim that the lesion was there from birth. Are you suggesting that they are lying?

I am no expert in this field and I make no assertions regarding whether it was a corn or not. What is at issue here is the level of discussion. Many contributions to this forum have exhorted us to adhere to scientific method. Would you have us pay more attention to criterion-based discussion of findings (as presented in this brief paper) or emotive, derogatory and unscientific assertions?

 

Yes. I do not believe them. Its a corn. There is no way it could have been present from birth.

 

So are you advocating that we give more weight to a single Expert Opinion than to the conclusions presented in a peer-reviewed journal?