After two unsuccessful surgeries to attempt to correct Stage 4 Duputryne's Contracture, I would suggest anyone contemplating surgery to correct Duputryne's Contracture evaluate what other options are available and do extensive research on the surgeon who will be performing the surgery. Get a second opinion and even a third opinion if you have any reservations.

In January 2020 I had my first surgery to correct Duputryne's Contracture at Mercy Health in Boardman, OH with Dr. Adrian Butler. Within a month, my hand progressed into a hyperextended position. I used the Occupational Therapy that was attached to the Orthopedic Hand Surgeon's practice. I was not informed that I would need Occupational Therapy until the day the surgical stitches were removed. I was berated several times during Occupational Therapy by the Occupational Therapist telling me that it was my fault that my fingers became hyperextended because I should have started Occupational Therapy while the stitches were still in my hand.

Covid caused the shutdown and between traveling for the work that was available for me and long wait times for an appointment, not knowing where I would be located on a given appointment date, I lived with my hand in the painful hyperextended position for more than a year and a half. I was finally able to see the original surgeon who performed the Duputryne's Contracture release in September 2022. He said he could correct my hand. The second surgery was performed October 2022. Not only did he not correct my hand, he left me with a painfully crippled hand, with the attached photos showing the condition of my hand at the present time.

After the second surgery, with Dr. Adrian Butler I chose an Occupational Therapist with a different hospital system, even though the doctor tried to force me to use his Occupational Therapist, bringing her over to the exam room 5 days after surgery when he removed the cast, forcing me to go with her to have a brace made, which was discarded the next day when I went to see my chosen Occupational Therapist. As therapy progressed, the therapist noticed that my hand was not aligned and requested I see the surgeon to evaluate the misalignment of my hand. Dr. Butler informed me that he noticed that on my last visit and would have to perform another surgery to correct the tendon issue. My therapist suggested that I get a second opinion.

The second opinion Orthopedic Hand Specialist Dr Steven Kann reviewed the surgical reports, reviewed the condition of my hand and questioned whether the surgeon who performed my surgeries was an orthopedic hand specialist or a general surgeon and told me that I would have to be insane to ever let that surgeon touch my hand again. The second opinion hand specialist informed me that my hand was too badly damaged by the previous 2 surgeries for him to do anything for me and referred me to UPMC Plastic and Reconstructive surgery. The surgeon Dr. Teun Teunis at UPMC informed me that my hand was too badly damaged by the 2 previous surgeries for them to repair my hand and recommended ray amputation of my left ring finger.

I went for another opinion at Cleveland Clinic with the director of Plastic Surgery Research Dr. Bahar Bassiri Gharb who discusses how she reattached a finger in her residency on her bio video, but her conclusion was my hand has been too badly damaged by the two previous surgeries and any surgical intervention had a high risk of amputation. From the surgical report, it is clear that the surgeon intentionally cut my nerves to release my contracture and remove scar tissue. The MRI and CTA showed that due to damage to the arteries, I have reduced blood flow to my ring finger. My ring finger has no feeling on the skin surface, has a constant swollen and tingling feeling with sometimes burning pains and I suffer from constant, 24/7 deep bone pain in my ring finger PIP joint. I have severe nerve sensitivity and pain in my palm. My left ring finger is cold to the touch all the time. My hand is stiff and due to the position my hand is contracted to, I have pains across my knuckles. The cold weather, even these recent mild cold weather days, increases the pain levels substantially.

Meanwhile, the Patient Advocate with the hospital system, after I called to discuss billing issues and told her about the condition that my hand is in, wrote in a letter stating that she spoke with the Orthopedic Hand Surgeon and that my hand surgery was "appropriate and uncomplicated", even though the surgical report details the cutting and attempted repair of my nerves and the MRI and CTA results show damage to my hand and arteries.

Please don't be like Tim-In-Ohio! Do your research and get as many second and third opinions as you feel necessary before you have surgery! If a viable nonsurgical procedure is available, it may be wise to choose that option first.

Edited 10/25/2023 21:35

Wow. I am not being critical; I am just curious. Why did you wait so long to have something done? Or, what were you advised before it got this far along?