Subungual glomus tumor: A case report

Abstract

Glomus tumor is a benign uncommon lesion derived from mesenchymal glomus bodies or neuromyoarterial bodies. It is found most frequently in the upper extremities in the subungual region. The glomus tumor size can be from 0.1 cm to 3 cm, are made up of glomus cells, vascular structures, and smooth muscle cells. Clinically, glomus tumor has a characteristic triad: cold hypersensitivity, severe paroxysmal pain and exquisite location of a painful point. The glomus tumors may be solitary or multiple, solitary is more frequent and appear in adulthood, the multiple are inherited in an autosomal dominant genetic pattern with variable expressivity. The imaging studies useful in the diagnostic are ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging.
The treatment of choice is complete surgical resection of the mass by transungual or lateral approaches. The main complications of surgical management are recurrence and nail dystrophy. The authors report the case of a patient of 42 years who had a painful subungual nodule on the left thumb, this was resected by transungual technique with subsequent relief of symptoms and histological confirmation of the disease.