Abductor digiti minimi involvement in Dupuytren's contracture of the small finger
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 1, 2026

Human Dupuytren's Ex Vivo Culture for the Study of Myofibroblasts and Extracellular Matrix Interactions
Published on: April 18, 2015
Kimberley E Meathrel1, Achilleas Thoma
1Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, St. Joseph's HealthCare and McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Purpose:
Dupuytren's contracture (DC) is a common, benign, progressive condition. Patterns of involvement of the ulnar side of the hand, specifically the involvement of the abductor digiti minimi (ADM), have received limited attention; therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence, patterns of involvement, and surgical outcomes in DC of the small finger.
Methods:
A retrospective review was performed on the hands of all patients who had surgery for DC between January 1998 and March 2002 to determine the incidence of ADM involvement.
Results:
A total of 149 patients had 195 surgeries on 261 digits during this period. Forty-seven percent of cases involved the small finger and 27% of those involved the ADM. Those cases involving the ADM had statistically significantly greater mean preoperative proximal interphalangeal joint (PIPJ) contracture (53 degrees ) as well as postoperative PIPJ contracture (34 degrees ) when compared with those without ADM involvement of the small finger (31 degrees preoperative PIPJ contracture and 15 degrees postoperative PIPJ contracture, respectively). The most common origin pattern of the ADM involvement was found to arise from both the ADM tendon and overlying fascia (77%). The most common insertion pattern was found to be over the middle phalanx (50%).
Conclusions:
We conclude that ADM is involved in DC of the small finger in one quarter of cases. Failure to recognize and resect the diseased cord arising from it and its overlying fascia at the time of surgery may account for the poor outcomes seen in DC of the small finger.
More Related Videos
05:18Ultrasound-Guided Needle Release Combined with Corticosteroid Injection for the Treatment of Supinator Syndrome
Published on: May 26, 2023
10:36Vascularized Composite Hand Allograft Procurement and Preparation for Distal and Proximal Forearm Allotransplantation: A Stepwise Approach
Published on: May 23, 2025
Related Concept Videos
Bones of the Upper Limb: Ulna
Bones of the Upper Limb: Radius
The radius has a nail-shaped head, and a short...
Muscles that Move the Forearm
Forearm Flexors
The biceps brachii, brachialis, and brachioradialis are forearm flexors. The biceps brachii is made up of two heads. Its long head originates at the supraglenoid tubercle of the scapula, whereas that of the short head is...
Muscles of the Forearm that Move the Hand and Fingers
Anterior Compartment
The anterior compartment muscles originate from the humerus. They primarily function as flexors and are also known as flexor muscles. They typically insert on the carpals, metacarpals, and phalanges. The superficial layer includes the flexor carpi radialis,...
Arteries of the Upper Limbs