Distrofia ungueale canaliforme di Heller e di Leclerq. Presentazione di due casi

Heller's nail dystrophy and Leclerq's nail dystrophy are considered two clinical varieties of the same onychodystrophy. They are rare, transitory and recurrent onychodystrophies which occur in both sexes, without any age predilection. We report two cases in which the clinical evolution of the onychodystrophy confirms the traumatic etiology of the nail alterations. The first case is that of a 40-year-old woman who referred to our Department because of an onychodystrophy appeared two months before. The nail plates of both thumbs had a longitudinal median fissure, with sharp borders, extended, in the left thumb, for the whole length of the nail plate, while, in the right thumb, only for the proximal half of the nail plate. The second case is that of a 40-year-old man with an onychodystrophy of the third fingernail of the left hand, consisting of a longitudinal median fissure of the proximal half of the nail plate. The clinical examination also showed an evident clubbing due to a congenital cardiopathy. We prescribed in both patients occlusive bandages of the affected fingernails. They remarkably improved after 4 months and completely recovered after 6.