title: Diagnostic criteria for and clinical review of melanonychia in Korean patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Melanonychia may be the presenting sign of ungual melanoma. However, there are insufficient basic clinical data for melanonychia in Korean patients.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We sought to identify basic clinical data and devise a classification algorithm for melanonychia.
  
  
  METHODS
  In all, 275 patients with melanonychia who visited our clinic from January 2002 to August 2014 were included in this study. We reviewed medical records, clinical and dermoscopic photographs, and histopathologic findings and we assessed demographics (eg, age); medical (eg, systemic diseases), family, and trauma (eg, nail biting) history; and physical findings (eg, affected number and site).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The 5 most common causes of melanonychia in Korean patients were subungual hemorrhage (29.1%), nail matrix nevus (21.8%), trauma-induced pigmentation (14.5%), nail apparatus lentigo (11.6%), and ethnic-type nail pigmentation (8.0%). Melanoma was diagnosed in 6.2% of patients. Ethnic-type nail pigmentation was commonly identified.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is a retrospective study from a single center.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We propose a revised diagnostic algorithm for melanonychia to assist in the evaluation of this condition.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, Pusan National University Hospital, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: Hyunju
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, Pusan National University Hospital, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: Jeong-Min
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, Pusan National University Hospital, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: Gun-Wook
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, Pusan National University Hospital, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, Pusan National University Hospital, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: Hoon-Soo
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, Pusan National University Hospital, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: Hyun-Chang
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, Pusan National University Hospital, Busan, Korea; Biomedical Research Institute, Pusan National University Hospital, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: Byung-Soo
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, Pusan National University Hospital, Busan, Korea; Biomedical Research Institute, Pusan National University Hospital, Busan, Korea. Electronic address: drkmp@hanmail.net.
authors.forename: Moon-Bum
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000465:Algorithms; D046169:Dermoscopy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D005383:Finger Injuries / Q000150:complications; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D007911:Lentigo / Q000175:diagnosis; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009260:Nail Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D009508:Nevus, Pigmented / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014009:Onychomycosis / Q000175:diagnosis; D056910:Republic of Korea; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D012880:Skin Pigmentation; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Korea; algorithm; melanonychia; nail pigmentation; subungual hemorrhage; ungual melanoma