Blog
Machines to Stretch Dupuytren’s Cords
There is not yet a perfect solution for PIP contractures from Dupuytren’s Disease, or for PIP contractures in general. One approach has been to use temporary skeletal fixation devices to slowly lengthen Dupuytren’s cords and scar tissue. The collagen bundles in Dupuytren’s cords don’t actually stretch: they remodel, disconnecting crosslinks
Tissue markers for Dupuytren’s
Is it possible to predict the course of Dupuytren’s in an individual? Who will need surgery? Who will have rapid progression or an early recurrence after surgery and who won’t? Family and personal history provide general trends, but that’s all. Several studies have correlated the cellularity of nodule tissue and
Dupuytren’s, epilepsy, barbiturates and genes: a chemical love …triangle.
Dupuytren’s has been associated with epilepsy. The type or cause of epilepsy doesn’t seem to matter. What does matter is the specific medication phenobarbitone. Dupuytren’s was not common in epileptics prior to the common use of this medicine, but is very common in people on long term treatment with it:
Treatment effectiveness for Dupuytren’s needs documentation
Progress into new territory requires an open mind: beware conformity; examine failure; engage outsiders, and be aware of undocumented claims. This interesting report of an injection treatment for Dupuytren’s would be worth considering if published in an independent peer reviewed format rather than on the manufacturer’s web site: https://www.dupuytrens.org/DupPDFs/2001_Beller.pdf
Rock Climbing and Dupuytren’s – an interesting analysis
Dupuytren’s is an inherited systemic disorder of either the threshold or the feedback inhibition of the biology of scar formation, contracture and maturation. It is not spontaneous, but triggered in specific areas having the common characteristic of being subjected to repeated high shearing or stretching forces: palmar fascia, plantar fascia,
How the FDA sees Collagenase for Dupuytren’s
Why is it taking so long for collagenase injection treatment to be available to treat Dupuytren’s? Trials have been ongoing for over 10 years. The answer: collagenase is an extremely potent substance, and the FDA has required very detailed proof not only that it works, but that it is safe,
Abstracts can be misleading
Unlike proximal interphalangeal joint contractures from Dupuytren’s, metacarpophalangeal joint contractures usually respond so well to fasciectomy or fasciotomy that joint capsule or ligament release is generally not a consideration. Because of this, I was intrigued by the title of this report: a series of patients treated with dermofasciectomy and MP
Myofibroblast Biology
Myofibroblast biology is at the heart not only of Dupuytren’s, but of other diseases not related to Dupuytren’s. Myofibroblasts are major players in pulmonary fibrosis, cirrhosis, renal fibrosis and arteriosclerosis. Studies of myofibroblast biology in these conditions may shed light on potential new treatment strategies for Dupuytren’s. Gains in the
Pregnancy, Dupuytren’s and Relaxin
Relaxin is a natural hormone which does many things and normally increases during pregnancy. It has been shown to have a range of antifibrotic actions: it inhibits collagen synthesis, increases collagenase activity, inhibits the profibrotic factors TGFß and Interleukin1-ß, and prevents fibroblast differentiation into myofibroblasts. How does it work? Is
Recent Dupuytren Publications
- 'Distal-to-proximal' surgical release of the proximal interphalangeal joint in Dupuytren's disease
- Collecting human remains in nineteenth-century Paris: the case of the Société Anatomique de Paris and the Musée Dupuytren
- C-X-C domain ligand 14-mediated stromal cell-macrophage interaction as a therapeutic target for hand dermal fibrosis
- Sensor-Controlled Patient Compliance with Postoperative Splinting after Dupuytren's Surgery
- Correspondence to: Henry O'Brien, Jay Paniker and Liam Brown: Is a smartphone application as accurate as a traditional goniometer for assessing finger joint angles in Dupuytren's disease? Hand Surg Rehabil 2023 Sep 29
