RESEARCH ARTICLE
The Re-Emergence of Percutaneous Fasciotomy in the Management of Dupuytren’s Disease
James Donaldson* , Nicholas Goddard
Article Information
Identifiers and Pagination:
Year: 2012Volume: 6
Issue: Suppl 1
First Page: 83
Last Page: 87
Publisher ID: TOORTHJ-6-83
DOI: 10.2174/1874325001206010083
Article History:
Received Date: 8/9/2011Revision Received Date: 23/10/2011
Acceptance Date: 25/10/2011
Electronic publication date: 23/2/2012
Collection year: 2012

open-access license: This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted, non-commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited.
Abstract
Dupuytren’s disease is a common condition. Its management has gradually evolved but still remains a source of much controversy. Recently there has been a resurgence in the popularity of percutaneous needle fasciotomy. It is a simple method that uses a hypodermic needle as a scalpel blade. It is usually performed in the out-patient setting under local anaesthesia without a tourniquet. It has few complications and allows almost immediate return to work with few restrictions.
It can provide complete deformity correction and may offer a long-term solution in selected patients. It is also useful in converting advanced contractures into milder deformities, allowing a second stage digito-palmar fasciectomy to be more successful. Recurrence is earlier than with more formal and invasive techniques but the procedure can be repeated and does not preclude the patient from further surgery.
This article reviews the technique and assesses the efficacy and outcomes of published data.