John,
There is much for you to learn about Dupuytren's (DC). 1) Don't get into a big hurry for surgery. 2) Your DC might not get any worse than it is now. DC can go dormant for years.
3) DC is different for everyone, so be cognizant of your own situation. 4) Be wary of information from your Dr., we have found that there is sometimes a lack of knowledge by many Drs. who don't have a lot of experience with DC. 5) Recurrence can be expected depending on your individual diathesis or situation. Do you have symtoms in more than one hand, are you young, what is full family history, do you have DC in other parts of body (such as arches of feet)?

I had surgery in January of this year. My little finger was at 90 degrees contraction. It is now 0 degrees and in pre-dupuytren's condition. As with all surgeries, many work out fine, but there are always those that can be a problem. Different procedures have different rates of recurrence. DON"T think about surgery until contraction reaches 20-30 degrees. Having nodules is no reason for surgery (my opinion)!

Check this website for good background information:

www.baylorhealth.com/Proceedings/14_4/14_4_flatt.pdf

What is your age? Are you incapacitated now? Do you have small nodules in your arches?

Good luck, ask questions.

Gary