Author(s) : A. Tosti, B.M. Piraccini, O. Calderoni, P.A. Fanti, N. Cameli, E. Varotti, Department of Dermatology, University of Bologna, Via Massarenti, 1, 40138 Bologna, Italy..
Summary : Onychomatricoma is an uncommon benign tumor of the nail matrix with typical clinical features. We report here 3 cases of onychomatricoma, including the first case in a black patient . In all three patients a presumptive diagnosis of onychomatricoma was made by clinical examination. The affected nails were thickened and showed a marked overcurvature of the nail plate. Frontal view of the nail revealed the presence of small woodworm-like cavities within the nail plate. In all cases the pathology showed multiple fibroepithelial projections that extended into the thickened nail plate. The tumor epithelium was identical to that of the normal nail matrix and keratinized without a granular layer.
Figure 1. Case 1. The first
left toenail is thickened and yellow in color. Multiple hollows are visible
within the thickened nail plate free margin.
Figure 2. Case 2. Marked pincer
deformity of the 3rd left fingernail. The nail plate is yellow in color
and shows multiple longitudinal striations that correspond to wood-worm
like holes in its distal portion.
Figure 3. Case 3. Diffuse thickening of
the 3rd left fingernail with small hollows within the nail plate.
Figure 4. Onychomatricoma:
the tumor digitations are covered by a thin epithelium (HE x 100).
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