Long-Term Treatment of Tinea Unguium with Long-Pulsed Neodymium-Doped Yttrium Aluminum Garnet Laser

In a study conducted at Juntendo University Urayasu Hospital in Chiba, Japan, researchers evaluated the efficacy and safety of long-term treatment of tinea unguium using a long-pulsed 1064nm neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (LP-Nd:YAG) laser over a maximum of 96 weeks. The study included 46 patients (21 men and 25 women, mean age 68.8 years) with a mean disease duration of 12.6 years, all of whom were resistant to oral medication. The treatment involved irradiating the nail plate and surrounding skin with the laser at 4-week intervals, and efficacy was assessed at 24, 48, 72, and 96 weeks. By 24 weeks, 30 toes were healed; by 48 weeks, 47 toes; by 72 weeks, 53 toes; and by 96 weeks, 55 toes. Notably, 85% of the healed toes were treated successfully within 48 weeks. No adverse reactions were observed, indicating the safety of the treatment. The study concluded that while the laser treatment alone may be effective for almost half of the affected toes, combining it with other treatments should be considered if no improvement is seen after approximately 1 year.