Dupuytren's contracture

Dupuytren's contracture is a fixed flexion contracture of the hand where the fingers bend towards the palm and cannot be fully extended (straightened). It is named after the famous surgeon Baron Guillaume Dupuytren who described an operation to correct this particular contracture.

The ring and little fingers are most commonly affected but all fingers may be involved. Dupuytren's contracture progresses slowly and is usually painless. In patients with this condition, the tissues under the skin on the palm of the hand thicken and shorten enough that the tendons connected to the fingers cannot move freely. The palmar fascia becomes hyperplastic and undergoes contracture. The affected fingers start to bend more and more and cannot be straightened.

incidence

Incidence increases after the age of 40 and white men are affected more than women.

risk factors

Risk factors are diabetes, liver disease, alcoholism, epilepsy and pulmonary tuberculosis. it is also seen with fibrosing syndromes, like the peyronie's disease, and riedel's struma.

treatment

• surgery in severe cases of contracture
• triamcinolone injections provide some relief.