Korean J Dermatol.  2021 Jan;59(1):38-44.

Efficacy and Safety of Matrix Shave Biopsy Using a Razor Blade for the Diagnosis of Longitudinal Melanonychia

• Lim BR
• Cho KH
• Park K

Abstract

Background
Longitudinal melanonychia (LM) can be caused by a variety of benign and malignant conditions. Nail matrix biopsy is necessary for the diagnosis of LM; however, physicians hesitate to perform the nail matrix biopsy due to the risk of postoperative complications like permanent matrix damage. Therefore, biopsy methods that minimize the risk of postoperative complications are necessary.
Objective
To investigate the efficacy and safety of the nail matrix shave biopsy using a razor blade.
Methods
We reviewed the medical records, clinical photographs, and histopathologic slides of patients who underwent shave biopsy for the diagnosis of LM from January 2018 to March 2020 at Wonkwang University Hospital.
Results
The entire pigmented lesion was removed completely by shaving only a partial thickness of the superficial matrix in all patients. The histopathologic diagnosis was melanocyte activation with no atypia in all cases. Eight patients were followed up for 7∼19 months. Resting pain after the shave biopsy improved in most cases (75%) within 1 week. One patient experienced numbness lasting for 3 months. Abnormal sensations, such as tingling and itching, were temporarily reported by two patients. One patient (12.5%) had temporary postoperative nail plate dystrophy, and three patients (37.5%) had recurrence of pigmentation.
Conclusion
Our protocol of shave biopsy showed a lower rate of postoperative nail dystrophy than the conventional shave biopsy. We suggest that the shave biopsy using a flexible stainless steel razor blade is a favorable alternative to the conventional shave biopsy.

Keyword

Shave biopsy; Nail diseases; Razor blade