Hello,
I am pretty new to this and am thrilled to read about others' experiences! I recently had surgery and have to say, am absolutely delighted with the results. I am in UK and the surgeon, Jeremy Field of Cheltenham, has to be the best hand surgeon on the planet! He has a really positive attitude to hand surgery and has left me with a perfect straight handshake!! Don't give up with this - just find the right surgeon!

Dupuytren's is a chronic, recurrent disease.

Most (but not all) people who have surgery for Dupuytren's contracture will have similar problems later on - either developing elsewhere in the hand or coming back in the area of previous surgery.

The above is a copy and paste from Dr. Eaton. DD will more than likely recur, whether you have NA or traditional surgery. In fact, it is more likely to recur from NA but NA may be a better treatment option for many people when trying to correct a contracture, especially a contracture in the palm. There are presentations of the disease that are better suited for traditional open surgery. Unfortunately recurrence is one of the worst aspects of this disease.

Radiation therapy is a common topic on here as a possible solution to avoid/minimize contractures and surgeries. It is seems to be effective for some people.

Debs,

I am on my 10th year following surgery and my hand is still as good as before I had Dupuytren's. Zero contraction and the signs of a scar are almost completely gone. I personally have not known one person (out of eight) who had to have repeat surgery. Yes, maybe we are lucky. The problem with the stats for surgery is that many people who choose surgery have waited too long and are more difficult conditions than the other procedures.

callie:

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The problem with the stats for surgery is that many people who choose surgery have waited too long and are more difficult conditions than the other procedures.

Edited 11/25/11 23:57