Dermoscopy-guided sampling improves the diagnostic yield of fungal culture for onychomycosis: a comparative study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The diagnosis of onychomycosis relies on mycological examination, but the high false-negative rate of fungal culture, often due to improper sampling, remains a significant clinical challenge. Dermoscopy has emerged as a valuable tool for visualizing specific nail structures associated with fungal invasion. This study aimed to evaluate whether using dermoscopy to guide the site of specimen collection can improve the positive rate of fungal culture for onychomycosis compared to conventional sampling.

Methods

We conducted a comparative study involving 1,843 nail units from patients with clinically suspected onychomycosis. Samples were allocated to either a conventional sampling group (n = 791) or a dermoscopy-guided sampling group (n = 1,052). In the gu

SUBMITTER: Guo B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12807977 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature