SINGLE CLUBBED FINGER CAUSED BY AN ENCHONDROMA OF THE DISTAL PHALANX: AN UNUSUAL CLINICAL PRESENTATION

Abstract

Single clubbed finger is an extremely rare condition that may show the presence of an underlying neoplasm of the distal phalanx. We describe a case of clubbing in a young adult patient with an enchondroma of the ring finger distal phalanx. The patient had a history of antecedent trauma to the left ring finger, suggesting the diagnosis of intraosseous epidermoid cyst rather than enchondroma. The lesion was successfully treated by curettage and packing of the bony defect with a synthetic bone substitute. Histologically, the tumour consisted of small, uniform chondrocytes without cytologic atypia. At the seven months follow-up, the patient had no evidence of recurrence, with a nearly normal-looking finger. We suggest that enchondroma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of clubbing in a single digit.