In October (I think) Wolfgang posted about his current radiotherapy and splint wearing for a PIP nodule, cord, and early contracture. Although it has only been one month, I'm wondering how this went--did radiotherapy have any effect? Also did you try any steroid injection after the nodule appeared? If not I'd be interested to know what you thought of this and also why radiotherapy was delayed until the contracture? I'm making decisions for myself and would like to know since you have so much experience and knowledge. Thanks.

Thanks very much for this and all you've written--it's very helpful. I hope all you are doing works and that you keep us posted.

Hi Gene Australia Calling.
The lumps I referred to were located in the web between the thumb and index finger of my right hand.
The nodule on my left index is located between the metacarpal and pip joint. This had the 30 Gy radiation.
I am not aware that I mentioned in the forum about steriod injection, however I did discuss this option with Prof. Seegenschmiedt ,as my GP thought there would be no benifit. His opinion was it was worth a try, it may reduce the nodule size . That was in October 08. I am going to see a Surgeon for him to administer the injections. It would be a Kenalog Injection. (Cortisone.) Have you read the article written by Luck .(Dupuytren Disease-literature ) I think this a must for anyone with dupuytrens to try and grasp how complex this disease is. Regards from down under.

Edited 12/11/08 11:52

Gene, you might find the thesis of Moermans interesting http://www.ccmbel.org/These.html . He is a surgeon and suggests an intermediate approach. To reduce recurrence he is cutting out segments of the cord, not just breaking it as NA does. To minimize side effects of surgery he leaves the rest in the hand. I haven't lately seen statistics on this technique. In his thesis he mentions a recurrence rate of about 40 % after 3 years which is probably about what other surgical techniques achieve and possibly better than NA. But even the definition of recurrence is difficult (see http://www.dupuytren-online.info/dupuytr...techniques.html).

His thesis is interesting to read anyway.

Wolfgang

Strange, I tried it and the link works on my computer. Q&A:

Q: Does anyone do this type of surgery since his recurrence is so low and probably side effects of surgery are low also?
A: Moermans himself: http://www.jpmoermans.be/Welcome.html

Q: Would they make one that covers the PIP of the index finger, or is this their only model?
A: No, FixxGlove is a standard product. If you want a night splint covering the PIP of your index finger you might try the (custom made) type on http://www.dupuytren-online.info/NA_side_effects.html. Very comfortable to wear, extremely easy to use (simply push/pull) and cheap, at least in Germany (30 Euro). I guess any hand clinic in the US could make it for you. Just show them the picture. The material what we call thermo plastic, maybe that also a common term in the US?

Wolfgang

Quote:

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I wasn't able to connect to the Moermann's website, but had read of this before. Does anyone do his type of surgery since his recurrence is so low and probably side effects of surgery are low also?

Also on the other citation there's a photo of the glove. Would they make one that covers the PIP of the index finger, or is this their only model?

Thanks

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