[Ainhum and pseudoainhum: clinical aspects and etiopathogenic hypotheses].

Pseudoainhum is a rare acquired or congenital disorder characterized by progressive development of a fibrotic band on a finger or toe until spontaneous autoamputation occurs. Ainhum is an idiopathic disease involving the fifth toes of black people mainly in tropical zones. Based on experience in five cases and a review of the literature, the authors describe clinical features of these diseases and analyze various etiological hypotheses including infectious (mycosis, mycobacteria), traumatic (plants), vascular (andysplasia), neurological (polyneuritis), and genetic (keratodermia) mechanisms.