Variation in Treatment Recommendations for Dupuytren Disease

To examine agreement on Dupuytren disease (DD) treatment recommendations in an international sample of hand surgeons.

A survey was developed to determine expertise in needle aponeurotomy, surgery, and collagenase injection to treat DD and to examine treatment recommendations for 16 case scenarios. Case scenarios were predeveloped using expert input. Each case represented a unique combination of 4 dichotomous variables including cord thickness, contracture severity, patient age, and joint involvement. Interrater reliability statistics were calculated and multinomial logistic regression modeling and analysis of variance were used to examine the impact of surgeon- and case-related variables on treatment recommendations.

A total of 36 hand surgeons from 9 countries (mean experience, 17 years) participated. Average pairwise percent agreement and Krippendorff's alpha were 26% and .012, respectively. Predictors of a recommendation for surgery over multiple options were a total contracture of greater than 70°, a thick precentral cord, involvement of the metacarpophalangeal and proximal interphalangeal joints, and greater years in practice. A greater number of years in practice predicted recommendation for collagenase injection and the presence of a thick precentral cord predicted a recommendation for needle aponeurotomy.

Little agreement exists on treatment recommendations for common presentations of DD in this sample.

Further investigation into the sources of potential widespread discrepancies in the management of DD may improve the capacity to make evidence-based recommendations.