Fossilized Nail Plate after Remote Trauma: Case Report
Amir Dehdashtian1, Bardia Amirlak1
1School of Medicine, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; and Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Tex.
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Global Open
|March 26, 2016
Summary
A large, vertically growing mass on the thumb was found to be a retained nail bed after trauma. This rare case highlights the importance of considering nail bed remnants in unusual post-surgical growths.
Area of Science:
- Dermatology
- Surgical Pathology
Background:
- A 38-year-old male presented with a dorsal thumb mass.
- History of remote trauma and groin flap surgery 13 years prior.
Observation:
- Slowly enlarging, vertically growing dorsal thumb mass with occasional drainage.
- Radiolucent mass on distal phalanx, minimal functional impairment.
Findings:
- Surgical exploration revealed a 2x2 cm keratinized mass attached to a retained sterile matrix (nail bed).
- The largest reported vertically growing, retained, and cornified nail bed of unusual size and shape.
Implications:
- Physicians should consider retained nail plates in patients with unusual growths post-trauma or surgery.
- This case expands the differential diagnosis for dorsal thumb masses.
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