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Fasciotomy versus fasciectomy for Dupuytren’s

Fasciectomy and fasciotomy were compared in this study with some interesting observations. Initially after procedure, fasciotomy was better than fasciectomy in straightening fingers, but this advantage was lost over time as fasciotomy had earlier recurrences than fasciectomy. Fasciectomy had better results at correcting PIP joint contractures, both early and late.

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Partial Fasciectomy for Dupuytren’s

Dupuytren’s patients need two things: first, a way to prevent disease progression and recurrence; second, the simplest, safest way to straighten fingers bent by Dupuytren’s. While working and waiting on the first, there are choices for the second. One of these is limited or partial fasciectomy, which has the advantage

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TGF-ß2 and Dupuytren’s

What if Dupuytren’s is due to slightly abnormal levels of a normal hormone, protein or other molecule in the system? If so, one of the most likely suspects would be Transforming Growth Factor Beta Two: TGF-ß2. This protein is part of the autocrine system (a chemical instant messaging system which

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Deformity, aggressiveness and severity of Dupuytren’s

When is the most effective time to treat Dupuytren’s and what is the best treatment? These are not easy questions. Dupuytren’s responds differently and recurs differently in different people: starting with the same deformity (how bent the fingers are), people who do worse are described as having “aggressive” Dupuytren’s. Severity

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Sex and Dupuytren’s in Boston

Dupuytren’s is fairly common in Boston, but seems different than the European flavor in terms of sex. The numbers on almost 2000 Boston Dupuytren’s patients were sorted out, and here’s how things roll in Boston: men develop Dupuytren’s almost twice as often as women, but it may seem like more

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Monkey model for Dupuytren’s

An experimental monkey model of Dupuytren’s Disease was performed to confirm or refute the microtrauma hypothesis of Dupuytren’s. The outcome: the reaction to rupture of the palmar fascia produced lesions identical to those of early Dupuytren’s, although did not lead to contractures during the period of study. The conclusion was

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What’s old is new in Dupuytren’s

Larsen’s insightful study and review of the demographics and microscopic anatomy of Dupuytren’s disease is over 50 years old, but reads like a recent publication. The author describes and ponders the significance of topics which were well known at the time: perivascular inflammation adjacent to but not within the affected

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Nice Overview of Dupuytren Disease

Time to pause and look at the big picture. Here is a balanced overview of the history, biology, etiology and epidemiology of Dupuytren Disease: http://dupuytrens.org/DupPDFs/2003_Thurston.pdf

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The potential of cryotherapy and Dupuytren’s

Myofibroblasts are part of the normal tissue repair response to almost all injuries: cut, crush, burn, chemical injury, infectious gangrene, and others – with one exception: freeze injury. Freeze burns don’t contract, possibly because only in freeze injury, the original collagen matrix scaffold is preserved, which may inhibit myofibroblast formation:

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