Dupuytren's disease following acute injury in Japanese patients: dupuytren's disease or not?

This paper reports the development of Dupuytren's disease following acute injury in 16 hands in 14 Japanese patients. The patients included six women and eight men. Five patients developed disease following trauma, one following infection and eight following elective surgery. In the present series, the patient age and sex are irrelevant. The disease was unilateral, confined to a single digital ray, and without ectopic lesions in most cases. Disease presented predominantly in the ring or middle finger rays. There were only three patients who underwent surgery for definite flexion contracture. Diabetes mellitus was the most frequently associated risk factor. Our results suggest that Dupuytren's disease following acute injury could be considered a separate entity from typical Dupuytren's disease. At present, we believe that this condition should be considered a subtype of Dupuytren's disease.