Abstract

MENNEN, Ulrich. Dupuytren's contracture: 'The Z-factor'. SA orthop. j. [online]. 2010, vol.9, n.2, pp. 79-82. ISSN 1681-150X.

Dupuytren's contracture (DC) or palmar fasciitis is notorious for its high recurrence rate after surgical fasciectomy. In a personal series of 426 operated hands over a 15-year period with a follow-up period of 2 to 17 years, the recurrence rate was only 3.7% (in the literature: 26-63%). The demographics, surgical technique and results are discussed. It is suggested that the possible reason for the low recurrence rate lies in multiple Z-plasties.