Onychogryphosis (also known as ram’s horn nails) is gross thickening and hardening of a nail, which becomes elongated, curved, and deformed. Onychogryphotic nails are characterized by hypertrophic, hyperkeratotic nail plate thickening with increased discoloration, and a loss of translucency. The terms oyster-like, claw, or ram’s horn nails have been used to describe this deformity. The thickened nails are often marked with transverse striations. These nails can be painful and can lift off or ulcerate the nail bed.
care, poor blood supply, injury to the matrix by repeated minor trauma, onychomycosis, diabetes, and/or malnutrition. Onychogryphotic nails are also associated with pachyonychia congenita which is an autosomal dominant keratin disorder that affects infants and children. Treatment involves debridement of the thickened nail plate.
Source : Atlas of Lower extremity skin diseases
