Has anyone read any information about the long term expectations from the NA procedure? Since the procedure is relatively new in the US, is there a forum or saource to get information on long term results from European patients that might have had the NA procedure 5- 10 years ago?

Long term expectations? I have short term experiance. My bent little finger is still straight as an arrow after 9 months since the good Dr. Eaton performed NA on my Dupuytren's contraction. Who knows long term? A few years perhaps.

Hi Marilyn,

Sorry to hear your hands are curling again. Can you give us more info about you and your DC? How old are you? At what age did your DC appear? How many fingers are affected and to what degree? From the first time you noticed the DC - how quickly did your fingers curl? Does your family have a history of DC and if 'Yes' is it mild/moderate/severe? You said your hands were almost flat...but not flat...what degree of contracture was left and what did Dr. Eaton say about it? Is there anything else you could tell us about yourself that would help us to understand the progression of your DC?

When we hear of these few cases where the hand begins to contract within months of NA this is important information - it helps us to understand NA and it's potential limitations better as well as the progession of DC itself.

Thanks,
Frances

Dear Paulette,

I'm so sorry to hear of your loss.

Frances

Hello Francis,

I am 53 yrs of age and have had type 1 diabetes since I was 8 yrs old. I can't remember how long I have had dupuytren's. I had surgery at least 13 yrs ago on my right hand because my ring finger and little finger were contracting. I did well with the surgery, and my fingers relaxed almost to normal.

About a year or so before this I had my middle finger worked on because it was locking in place. Sometime during this time I had carpel tunnel surgery on my left hand.

About ten years ago I had a frozen right shoulder. I tried months of PT, but nothing helped. Finally an orthopedic surgeon gave me a pain killer and tore the adhesions. It was great, I had full use of my arm back.

A couple of years ago the same shoulder froze again. This time I did nothing and after about 18 months my shoulder is much better.

I can't remember when my fingers started curling again. My teenage son has been very ill for about 8 yrs, and I haven't focussed much on my hands.

By the time I saw Dr Eaton in April, I had 4 fingers and a thumb that needed to be released. The previous hand surgeon said that my fingers on my right hand were bad enough that it would require a skin graph and he wasn't sure it would help restore the use of my finger. He said that if it really was bothering me that maybe I should have it amputated. He did NOT want to perform either surgery. By this time both of my hands were pretty bad, the left one being worse, but I certainly was losing full use of both hands.

Dr Eaton was actually able to release the fingers on my right hand, the one I had surgery performed on, more successfully than my left hand. We were both surprised.The large lump on my right little finger is completely gone, but now I have a large lump on my left little finger. After the NA procedure I was able to rest both hands out flat,well almost flat.

At this date my right little finger and my ring finger are beginning to contract. I had a large lump in my ring finger too, it is still soft, but the cord in my little finger is tightening.

My left hand is worse, I have many new lumps and bumps and my little finger is contracting a bit.

Dr. Eaton didn't think that he could restore my hands completely, and they are much,much better than they were, but I am disappointed that I am already having problems.

Marilyn