Results of total aponeurectomy for Dupuytren's contracture in 61 patients: a retrospective clinical study.

INTRODUCTION

Many surgical techniques have been advocated to treat Dupuytren's contracture. Partial fasciectomy is often performed to treat the whole spectrum of Dupuytren's disease.

METHOD

We have reviewed the effectiveness of total aponeurectomy performed on 61 patients [10 women and 51 men (male:female ratio 5.1:1) with a mean age of 63.0 (range 42-79 years) and a mean follow-up of 3.45 years (range 1.03-6.39 years)].

RESULTS

Post-operative complications including haematoma, seroma or necrosis were found in 13.8% of the patients. Recurrence of contracture occurred in 10.8% of the patients and 4.6% of the operated patients presented with a nerve lesion. Nerve irritation occurred in 6.2% of the patients. The mean DASH-score was 3.85 (range 0-52.5). Family pre-disposition was an important risk factor for Dupuytren's disease with 44.3% of patients having a positive family history.

CONCLUSION

We suggest that total aponeurectomy is a promising alternative to partial fasciectomy with low risk for a recurrence and slightly increased risk for a nerve lesion.