Posttraumatic Onychoheterotopia: A Report of Two Cases

Abstract

Case 1: A 35-year-old otherwise healthy man presented to us with ectopic nail growth over the palmar aspect of the middle finger of the right hand for the past 9 to 10 months. His history was conspicuous for trauma to the right hand in which his index finger was amputated along with avulsion of the nail plate and laceration of the middle finger. Two months later, the nail grew back normally, together with an asymptomatic, ectopic nail on the palmar aspect of the same finger 1 cm proximal to the fingertip (Figure 1). The ectopic nail lacked the luster of a normal nail and was oriented vertically. The patient had to clip it regularly like the other nails. X-ray findings of the hand were normal. The quality of life of the patient was assessed using the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), with a score of 0. The patient refused surgical excision of the ectopic nail because it was asymptomatic.