Comparison of Treatment Outcome After Collagenase and Needle Fasciotomy for Dupuytren Contracture: A Randomized, Single-Blinded, Clinical Trial With a 1-Year Follow-Up.

PURPOSE: This study compared the efficacy of collagenase treatment and needle fasciotomy for contracture of the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint in Dupuytren disease.

METHODS: This is a prospective, single-blinded, randomized study with follow-up 1 week and 1 year after treatment. One hundred and forty patients with an MCP contracture of 20° or more in a single finger were enrolled, of whom 69 patients were randomized to collagenase treatment and 71 patients to needle fasciotomy. The patients were followed at 1 week and were examined by a physiotherapist after 1 year. Measurements of joint movement and grip strength were recorded as well as patient-perceived outcomes measured by the Unité Rhumatologique des Affections de la Main (URAM) questionnaire and a visual analog scale (VAS) for the estimation of procedural pain and subjective treatment efficacy.

RESULTS: Eighty-eight percent of the patients in the collagenase group and 90% of the patients in the needle fasciotomy group had a reduction in their MCP contracture to less than 5° 1 week after treatment, and the median gains in passive MCP movement were 48° and 46°, respectively. The median VAS score for procedural pain was 4.9 of 10 in the collagenase group and 2.7 of 10 in the needle fasciotomy group. After 1 year, 90% of the patients in both groups had full extension of the treated MCP joint. One patient in each group had a recurrence of the contracture. The median improvement in URAM score was 8 units in both groups and the VAS estimation of treatment efficacy by the patients was 8.7 of 10 in both groups.

CONCLUSIONS: There was no significant difference between the treatment outcomes after collagenase and needle fasciotomy treatment after 1 year.

TYPE OF STUDY/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic I.