A soccer player with a sore toe: recognizing subungual osteochondromas.
In contrast to usual osteochondromas, subungual osteochondromas may arise following trauma rather than from aberrations in bone development. The rarity of subungual osteochondromas frequently leads to misdiagnosis and undertreatment, especially as a sports injury. When patients have nail-bed bruising, x-rays can rule out or confirm bone involvement, as in our case of a 20-year-old soccer player who had increasing pain in his left great toe. Treatment consists of radical, anatomic resection of symptomatic osteochondromas with periosteal realignment to prevent recurrence. Functional outcome after resection is excellent.
Rajan
G P
GP
ENT Surgery Department, University Hospital, Zurich, CH. gunesh.rajan@orl.usz.ch.
Zellweger
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R
Trentz
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O