Research on Dupuytren's disease and Dupuytren's contracture
A good overview about Dupuytren's disease is Lewis, Conologue, and Shaffer, "Dupuytren Contracture" in emedicine. Another site that provides a lot of answers to potential questions (and cites a wealth of research literature as well) is the web site of the Hand Center in Jupiter, Florida, USA, and specifically its Dupuytren's-FAQ page . The overview bc C. C. Maloney http://www.arthritispractitioner.com/article/6832 includes NA as treatment option but misses out on radiotherapy. Patients and MDs from the UK might have a look at e.g. BMJ_Dupuytren's Contracture . Also from the UK is A Bayat and DA McGrouther "Management of Dupuytren's Disease - Clear Advice for an Elusive Condition" Ann R Coll Surg Engl. 88 (2006) p 3–8 full_text.
A review of current research on the root causes of Dupuytren's contracture, its development stages, and related diseases and heritage is given by Alan J. Thurston "Dupuytren's disease" J. Bone and Joint Surgery Br. 85-B (2003) p. 469-477 full_article. This article does not discuss therapies. - A related aspect, also communicated by Alan J. Thurston, might be "Bone spurs: Mechanism of production of different shapes based on observations in Dupuytren's diathesis" ANZ Journal of Surgery 72 (2002) p 290-293(4) abstract.
There are several PhD thesises published in the Internet that also provide a good overview of the disease, its etiology and therapies. Examples are Stephan Wilbrand "Dupuytren's Contracture: Features and Consequences " (Upsalla, 2002) full_text and JP Moermans "Place of Segmental Aponeurectomy in the Treatment of Dupuytren's disease" (Brussels, 1997) full_text.
University of Erlangen summarizes the results of 50 years of surgical experience: Bernd Loos, Valerij Puschkin, and Raymund Horch "50 years experience with Dupuytren's contracture in the Erlangen University Hospital – A retrospective analysis of 2919 operated hands from 1956 to 2006" BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2007; 8: 60 full_text
One of the classical publications on Dupuytren's contracture, 50 years old and still very worth reading is J. Vernon Luck "Dupuytren's Contracture: A New Concept of the Pathogenesis Correlated with Surgical Management" J Bone Joint Surg Am. 41 (1959) 635 - 664. Full_text_PDF published with approval from The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Inc.
Another older but still interesting article, strongly advocating dermofasciectomy, is John Hueston "The role of the skin in Dupuytren's disease" Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England 67 (1985) p 372 -375. Full text.
Canadian research suggests that “the involvement of these wound healing-associated proteins in Dupuytren Disease supports the notion that this disease may be an exaggerated form of wound healing“. Cited from Jeffrey C. Howard et al., "Wound Healing-Associated Proteins Hsp47 and Fibronectin Are Elevated in Dupuytren’s Contracture", Journal of Surgical Research 117 (2004) p 232–238. This might explain the observation that damage of the hand, by accident or by surgery, can trigger Dupuytren's disease.
A lab study on nodules and cords concludes "These in vitro studies support the hypothesis that fibroblasts derived from Dupuytren's contracture nodules change their phenotype after undergoing repeated cell passage, acquiring a cord-like fibroblast phenotype. Dupuytren's nodules represent the early, active form of fibrosis in which cells are more proliferative." Moyer KE; Banducci DR; Graham WP 3rd; Ehrlich HP "Dupuytren's disease: physiologic changes in nodule and cord fibroblasts through aging in vitro." Plastic and reconstructive surgery 110 (2002) 187-93; discussion 194-6.
Rayan postulates that a non-typical Dupuytren's contracture showing the same symptoms but different prognosis should be researched and treated seperately: GM Rayan and J Moore "Non-Dupuytren's disease of the palmar fascia" J Hand Surg [Br] 30 (2005) p 551-6 abstract_Rayan.
Cellular and genetic background
Genome-wide association study (GWAS): G. Dolmans et al. "Wnt Signaling and Dupuytren’s Disease" N Engl J MedN Engl J Med 365 (2011):1740ff Wnt_signalling_full_text.
Review article: T.A. Wynn "Cellular and molecular mechanisms of fibrosis" J Pathol 214 (2008) p 199–210.
Lucy Lee et al. "Expression of a Novel Gene, MafB, in Dupuytren’s Disease" J Hand Sugery 31A (2006) p 211 - 218.
Books
About every 5 years a book reflecting the current knowledge is published on Dupuytren's disease. Those books usually address the medical community and are expensive. Recent examples include
C Eaton, MH Seegenschmiedt, A Bayat, G Gabbiani, P Werker, W Wach "Dupuytren’s Disease and Related Hyperproliferative Disorders" Springer, 2012. ISBN 978-3-642-22696-0, read_online.
Peter Brenner and Ghazi M. Rayan "Morbus Dupuytren - a concept of surgical treatment" (Springer, New York, 2003).
Raoul Tubiana, C Leclercq, LC Hurst, MA Badalmente, E Mackin "Dupuytren's Disease" Martin Dunitz, 2000. ISBN: 1-85317-475-0 preview_with_some_chapters . Review.
Alfred Berger, A Belbrueck, P Brenner "Dupuytren's Disease: Pathobiochemistry and Clinical Management" Springer, 1994. ISBN 3540572392, 9783540572398.
Robert M McFarlane, DA McGrouther, MH Flint "Dupuytren's disease" Churchill Livingstone, 1990. ISBN 044303818X, 9780443038181.
Other contributions and comments
A blog on recent research and worth reading is on the web site of The Dupuytren Foundation http://dupuytrenfoundation.blogspot.com/.
This might be a good place to indicate that this disease, though named after Guillaume Dupuytren, could with equal (or better) justification be named after Astley Cooper who described it earlier in his book "A Treatise on Dislocations and Fractures of the Joints" (1822), including fasciotomy as a surgical intervention (Alan Thurston (2003) Dupuytren's disease or Cooper's contracture?: Kenneth Fitzpatrick Russell Memorial Lecture ANZ Journal of Surgery 73 (7) , 529–535 abstract). The first description of this disease is by Felix Platter in 1614 who falsly interpreted it as tendon contracure.
For research regarding specific therapies, please refer to the relevant pages of this web site.
General note:
Should you have problems in getting copies of the papers cited on our web site, we can provide you with contact information for some of them. Several authors have also provided us with reprints, and we can mail you a copy if you send us your postal mail address and tell us what papers you are interested in (in this case we would ask for a small donation to cover our expenses).
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Page last modified:
01/15/2012