SURGEON IS FIRST IN NORTH AMERICA TO OFFER NEW PROCEDURE FOR DEBILITATING HAND DISEASE

An aging population is turning to an innovative treatment for the debilitating hand disease known as Dupuytren’s contracture. Hand surgery specialist Dr. Charles Eaton MD, followed a lead on the internet to become the first surgeon in America to perform needle aponeurotomy, a less debilitating and less expensive treatment for patients affected by Dupuytren’s disease.
Dupuytren’s disease causes a shrinking of a layer of flesh just beneath the skin of the palm, eventually making it impossible to straighten the fingers. Standard treatment is extensive surgery, with large incisions in the palm, prolonged therapy, and many months of recovery. This contrasts dramatically with Dr. Eaton’s minimally invasive hand surgery approach, performed in the office with local anesthesia, in which he releases tight bands of abnormal tissue, leaving only pinhole wounds in the palm. After needle aponeurotomy, most patients are able to use the treated hand immediately for most normal activities, without physical therapy, and without the usual risks of traditional surgery.
“Many patients struggle for months after traditional open hand surgery for Dupuytren’s contracture, and feel that their cure was worse than the disease. This new hand surgery procedure allows patients to improve their hands in one step without having to disrupt their lives for months at a time recovering from each surgery.” said Dr. Eaton.
The condition can have a severe impact on quality of life, making everything from handling a fork or using a keyboard to swinging a golf club impossible for many patients. Dupuytren’s contracture affects 5 to 15% of men over 50 – and like other relatively rare medical conditions, it creates challenges for patients who need to find specialists experienced in the latest surgical techniques.
The internet was the link to bringing this procedure to America. Although the technique had been available in Paris for thirty years, it had little mention in English surgical literature, a situation Eaton describes as an example of how the standard lines of medical communication can fail to cross the borders of countries and languages. Instead, he learned of the technique through an on line discussion group, and traveled to France in 2003 to learn the procedure first hand. Since then, he has performed needle aponeurotomy to nearly 1600 hands - on patients from five continents. He rapidly developed a global practice using his website and email to communicate with patients from his office in Jupiter, Florida. Most of his hand surgery patients have learned of his procedure on line and travel for their treatment. Eaton says: “The internet gives patients options no one physician can offer, and people do want the freedom to choose their own medical care, from the ground up. It’s medical empowerment for baby boomers. This procedure isn’t magic or a cure-all, but it is a real option.” Embracing an international internet based medical practice, Eaton said that he is now focusing his entire effort on treating patients with Dupuytren's contracture.

For more information, visit The Hand Center website, www.handcenter.org.