Morbus Dupuytren

Operation

Dupuytren's disease is a thickening and shortening of the hand fascia: a layer of tissue between the skin and the underlying vessels, nerves and flexor tendons. The disease begins as a nodule of the palm, which can form into chords. When the chords restrict normal finger extension, it is time to consider treatment.

Duration of treatment

Approx. 1-2 hours

Stay

1-2 days

regeneration

2-3 weeks

In some cases, especially if only nodules are palpable and if these are not painful, a “wait and see” approach may be sufficient. The nodules do not necessarily mean that the disease will progress. However, if chords appear, there are several treatment options. A novel, minimally-invasive and effective treatment technique is the collagenase injection. If a recurrence has already occurred, or if several chords involve one finger, surgical removal of the affected tissue layer is indicated.

The operation

The surgery takes place in regional arm or general anesthesia. The pathologically altered chords are removed and the closely adjacent vessels, nerves and tendons are dissected free.

After the operation

Usually, a hospital stay of 1-2 days is advisable. The drainage tubes are removed on the 2nd day. The hand dressing remains until the suture removal, which takes place after 10-12 days. The hand can be used during this time, but should be spared from strenuous activities. After this time, physiotherapy is recommended to regain mobility and ensure a good result.