title: Ainhum - A Rare Case Report.
abstract: The term 'AINHUM' is derived from the African word meaning 'to saw or cut'. True ainhum otherwise called dactylolysis spontanea is a condition involving soft tissue or digits with constricting rings commonly presenting in fifth toes, usually bilateral. It is to be differentiated from Pseudo-ainhum that occurs secondary to some hereditary and nonhereditary diseases that lead to annular constriction of digits. We report a rare case of true ainhum involving the left fourth toe only. It is a very rare case and a very few were reported worldwide. The highest incidence of ainhum has been reported in South Africa and South America. It is rarely reported in India. Ainhum when diagnosed and treated in early stages can be prevented from progressing to mutilating deformities.
authors.affiliation: Senior Resident, Department of General Surgery, Mahatma Gandhi Medical College & Research Institute, Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth , Pondicherry, India .
authors.forename: Ravi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Prabhu
authors.affiliation: Associate Professor, Department of General Surgery, Mahatma Gandhi Medical College & Research Institute, Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth , Pondicherry, India .
authors.forename: Narayanasamy Subbaraju
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Kannan
authors.affiliation: Assistant Professor, Department of General Surgery, Mahatma Gandhi Medical College & Research Institute, Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth , Pondicherry, India .
authors.forename: Sundaresan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vinoth
authors.affiliation: Assistant Professor, Department of General Surgery, Mahatma Gandhi Medical College & Research Institute, Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth , Pondicherry, India .
authors.forename: Chinnappan Balasubramanian
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Praveen
keywords: Dactylolysis spontanea; Streeter’s dysplasia; Vohwinkel syndrome