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Surgery recommended for 86 year old woman just diagnosed with DC?
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03/30/2008 18:27
cgmyers 
03/30/2008 18:27
cgmyers 
Surgery recommended for 86 year old woman just diagnosed with DC?

My mom just saw an orthopedist (while I was on vacation last week) - the pinky finger on her left hand rather suddenly curled up and he diagnosed her with DC. He wants to do surgery this week - I spent an hour today on-line educating myself on the disease. She is in no pain, and is right handed so the contracted finger is more a nuisance than anything else. I am going to the Ortho MD with her tomorrow and wondered if anyone out there had any advice for me?

Thanks in advance!

03/30/2008 22:30
newman 
03/30/2008 22:30
newman 

Re: Surgery recommended for 86 year old woman just diagnosed with DC?

Australia Calling,Hi.
I hope you looked at the Dupuytren Web pages http://www.dupuytren-online.info Regards


Edited at 03/31/08 01:33

03/30/2008 22:43
cgmyers 
03/30/2008 22:43
cgmyers 
Re: Surgery recommended for 86 year old woman just diagnosed with DC?

Yes, I read allot of the on-line info and am leaning to taking her to one of the hand surgeons who does NA rather than surgery. I am afraid that the risks of the surgical option and related therapy outweigh the benefits for someone her age.

Thanks.

03/31/2008 06:19
wach 

Administrator

03/31/2008 06:19
wach 

Administrator

Re: Surgery recommended for 86 year old woman just diagnosed with DC?

My mother is also 86 and I wouldn't recommend surgery to her if the had a contracted finger (fortunately she only has nodules so far). NA is absolutely worth a try.

Wolfgang

03/31/2008 16:44
cgmyers 
03/31/2008 16:44
cgmyers 
Re: Surgery recommended for 86 year old woman just diagnosed with DC?

Thanks very much for your prompt input and advice. I spoke with the orthopedic doctor who had recommended the surgery for my Mom and cancelled the procedure.

I cannot say thanks enough to those who have put together this website for enabling me to make an educated decision on her behalf in such a remarkably quick timeframe. I will be contacting Dr. Goldman at Duke to get an opinion about NA for her instead of surgery.

04/01/2008 17:25
Randy_H 
04/01/2008 17:25
Randy_H 

Re: Surgery recommended for 86 year old woman just diagnosed with DC?

"I am afraid that the risks of the surgical option and related therapy outweigh the benefits (of OS) for someone her age."

Actually cgmyers, the data presented to the American Society of Surgery of the Hand (ASSH) last year suggests that the risk/benefit ratio of Open Surgery (OS) is such that NA is almost always the better option until proven otherwise on a case by case basis. This regardless of age.

The one caveat to this would be *young* people (especially women) with very aggressive disease. In that case OS with skin grafting is the best fire break we have at this point.

I'm glad you found this site too. :-)

04/02/2008 11:57
cgmyers 
04/02/2008 11:57
cgmyers 
Re: Surgery recommended for 86 year old woman just diagnosed with DC?

Randy H, Thanks for your message - it confirms my thoughts with evidence from people who know a whole lot more about this condition than I do!

cgmyers

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