Cimetidine and peptic ulceration in a Meckel's diverticulum.

Sir, Injury to the fingertip or toe often results in a subungual haematoma. Some of these patients, and we do not know the exact proportion, wil have sustained a fracture of the terminal phalanx. If the haematoma is painful, the usual treatment is to trephine the nail.' Presumably this converts a closed fracture (if present) to a compound one. This being the case, it seems possible that trephining (or not trephining) may increase the potential for osteomyelitis. Local inquiries suggest that such a hazard is purely theoreticalhas anyone seen this complication? We wonder if it is safer to obtain an x-ray and avoid trephining a subungual haematoma if a fracture is present.