Blog
Cell biology and faulty brakes in Dupuytren’s
TGF-beta is a protein which lets some cells boss other cells around. It’s manufactured and released by some cells, and other cells change what they are doing when they notice that TGF-beta is around. TGF-beta does different things to different cells, always in a domino effect. For example, fibroblasts respond
Oxygen Free Radicals and Dupuytren’s
Oxygen free radicals affect Dupuytren’s fibroblasts: high levels are toxic, but not only do slightly elevated levels stimulate fibroblast activity, active fibroblasts actually produce oxygen free radicals. Which is the chicken and and which is the egg? This seminal paper reports studies of the effects of oxygen free radicals on
Viking blood, blue eyes and other risk factors for Dupuytren’s
What is the actual story of the Vikings and Dupuytren’s? The full history will never be known, but some fascinating details on this and other risk factors, including blue eyes, are reviewed here: https://www.dupuytrens.org/DupPDFs/2001_Flatt_1397.pdf. See page 4 for a decision tree showing how to predict the risk of recurrence after
Sorting out the truth
Don’t believe everything you read about Dupuytren’s – even in respectable journals. I was aware that reflex sympathetic dystrophy (complex regional pain syndrome) was more common after fasciectomy for Dupuytren’s than for other hand operations, but there is little published on this. Then, this report came out documenting surprisingly high
Lessons from Peyronie’s for Dupuytren’s
Peyronie’s disease is more common than Dupuytren’s – 3 to 9 percent of the population – and shares a similar biology and genetic predisposition. Progress in the treatment of Peyronie’s will benefit that of Dupuytren’s and vice versa. Taken in this context, these two articles by Hellstrom from 2000 and
Looking at Dupuytren’s with MRI
Where is Dupuytren’s? It’s been known for some time that Dupuytren’s involvement can be identified by MRI, as described in these articles:https://www.dupuytrens.org/DupPDFs/1993_Yacoe_813.pdfhttps://www.dupuytrens.org/DupPDFs/1994_Miller.pdfand it’s likely that the activity of the process could be mapped, both for predictive value and for targeted treatment to prevent progression. Now, these papers are 15 years
The Fish Technique for Dupuytren’s: Fasciectomy and Skin Graft
Skin grafts are used in a variety of approaches for Dupuytren’s: to add skin where it has been shortened (fasciotomy and skin graft, fasciectomy and skin graft); to replace skin where it has been removed to prevent recurrence (dermofasciectomy and skin graft). This study reviews the results of fasciectomy and
Accidental fasciotomy for Dupuytren’s
Fingers bent by Dupuytren’s can complicate a fall on an outstretched hand: because the fingers can’t stretch back, the force of impact is redistributed, making it more likely to break hand bones. When the fall is hard enough to break something, occasionally what gives is not bone, but the Dupuytren
No advantage to open Proximal Interphalangeal Joint release for Dupuytren’s
Proximal interphalangeal joint contractures from Dupuytren’s disease take on a life of their own, persisting after the Dupuytren’s has been removed. One of the arguments for open fasciectomy is that PIP contractures can be treated by openly releasing the tight joint capsule and ligaments. Unfortunately, gains made in the operating
Recent Dupuytren Publications
- Discussion: Frequency and Reporting of Complications after Dupuytren Contracture Interventions: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
- The effect of preoperative interventions on postoperative outcomes following elective hand surgery: A systematic review
- Palmoplantar keratoderma, knuckle pads, and syndactyly associated with a new missense variant in the SLURP1 gene
- Post-traumatic Dupuytren's contracture in a paediatric patient: a case report and literature review
- Collagenase injection versus limited fasciectomy surgery to treat Dupuytren's contracture in adult patients in the UK: DISC, a non-inferiority RCT and economic evaluation
