Hook nail is a bowing of the nail bed due to a lack of support from the short bony phalanx (fingertip).Freedberg, et al. (2003). ''Fitzpatrick's Dermatology in General Medicine''. (6th ed.). McGraw-Hill. .

Signs and symptoms

The nail plate has volar concavity and a longitudinal hypercurvature. The patient may report discomfort, aesthetic impairment, and functional disability.

Causes

Hook nail is caused by trauma to the

hyponychium The hyponychium () is the area of epithelium, particularly the thickened portion, underlying the free edge of the nail plate on the nail. Its proximal border is immediately distal to distal limit of nail bed—a.k.a. the onychodermal band (the ...

. Hook nail is often seen after a fingertip

amputation Amputation is the removal of a Limb (anatomy), limb or other body part by Physical trauma, trauma, medical illness, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as cancer, malign ...

Prevention

Some publications propose shortening the nail bed to the end of the bony support if it continues past the limit of the severed distal

phalanx The phalanx (: phalanxes or phalanges) was a rectangular mass military formation, usually composed entirely of heavy infantry armed with spears, pikes, sarissas, or similar polearms tightly packed together. The term is particularly used t ...

in order to prevent deformity. Treatments intended to preserve length, such as replantation or flap reconstruction, should be used if the damage to the bone and soft tissue beneath the nail bed is too great.

Treatment

Surgical options for hook-nail deformity include nail excision or finger shortening; alternatively, soft tissue reconstruction,

bone grafting Bone grafting is a type of transplantation used to replace missing bone tissue or stimulate the healing of fractures. This surgical procedure is useful for repairing bone fractures that are extremely complex, pose a significant health risk to the ...

, nail recession, or partial toe transfer may be used to try to add some support to the nail bed.

References

External links

{{Medical resources , ICD11 = {{ICD11, EE10.3 , ICD10 = {{ICD10, L60.2 , ICD10CM = , ICD9 = , ICDO = , OMIM = , MeshID = , DiseasesDB = , SNOMED CT = 52897009 , Curlie = , MedlinePlus = , eMedicineSubj = , eMedicineTopic = , PatientUK = , NCI = , GeneReviewsNBK = , GeneReviewsName = , NORD = , GARDNum = , GARDName = , RP = , AO = , WO = , OrthoInfo = , Orphanet = , Scholia = Q5897957 , OB =hand/6111/hook-nail-deformity Conditions of the skin appendages