I appealed my denial and was able to get approval. It was initially denied because the procedure was classified as experimental. With so few American physicians performing NA I can understand the insurance companies reluctance to endorse the procedure. I would recommend that if you do appeal, you include the UK's NICE guidance on needle fasciotomy, as a NICE guidance does carry some weight.

Steve

I meant to type Medicare - not Medical. oops!

All I have heard is that the Larkspur doctor is a plastic surgeon and, at last count, had done approximately 20 NA procedures. I was Dr. Eaton's 800th NA procedure. That tells the whole story, to me. Take a nice vacation in Florida and visit Dr. Eaton. You will not be sorry.

I think the website is beginning to become too emotional and dominated by just a few players. After one has studied this disease, the decision on NA vs. surgery is fairly straight forward. As Dr. Eaton will tell you, the advantages of NA over surgery are primarily two-fold: short recovery times and repeatability. I would add two others: local vs. general anaesthesia and fewer complications. The negatives are also two-fold: what looks like a higher recurrence rate with NA, and NA not being applicable for certain types of Dupuytrens (eg, in finger joints distal to the palm).

I do not know anything about Dr. Denkler, plus or minus, and as I live in Wisconsin, proximity of Denkler vs. Eaton is not an issue. All other things equal, I would prefer a hand surgeon to perform NA - a hand surgeon will have a more comprehensive understanding of hand anatomy and function.

Steve

Larry,

Perhaps I didn't explain myself properly. I had NA from Dr. Eaton on 2-11-05 a day after Peggy. She told me about a week later that Eaton said she was his 800th NA patient. He made no mention to me about any number. After I received that info from Peggy I assumed that I was in the low 800s a few numbers past her.