This systematic review examines 218 published studies on invasive Dupuytren contracture treatment to characterize how correction of contracture and recurrence are defined across the surgical literature, and whether those definitions are consistent enough to allow meaningful comparison of procedures.
When evaluating published recurrence rates for Dupuytren procedures, always ask how recurrence was defined and how long patients were followed — a 12% recurrence rate at 18 months and a 73% rate at 7 years may reflect follow-up duration and definition more than procedural differences.
Counsel patients that recurrence is common across all invasive techniques, and that head-to-head comparisons in the literature are unreliable without standardized endpoints.
This systematic review examines 218 published studies on invasive Dupuytren contracture treatment to characterize how correction of contracture and recurrence are defined across the surgical literature, and whether those definitions are consistent enough to allow meaningful comparison of procedures.
When evaluating published recurrence rates for Dupuytren procedures, always ask how recurrence was defined and how long patients were followed — a 12% recurrence rate at 18 months and a 73% rate at 7 years may reflect follow-up duration and definition more than procedural differences.
Counsel patients that recurrence is common across all invasive techniques, and that head-to-head comparisons in the literature are unreliable without standardized endpoints.