Nationwide rates of limited fasciectomy for Dupuytren’s contracture: data from the Finnish National Registry

Dupuytren's contracture (DC) is often treated with limited fasciectomy (LF), while percutaneous treatment options are gaining popularity. The recent trends in the incidence rates of LF are not well known. Our study aimed to investigate the incidence rates of LF over time, and we collected nationwide data on all LF performed between January 1, 1997 and December 31, 2018. The main outcome variables were the incidence rates of first and subsequent LF for each patient per 100,000 person-years, calculated for each study year, gender, and age group. Data were obtained from the Finnish National Hospital Discharge Registry, which covers the entire population of Finland. Reporting to the registry is mandatory for all public and private hospitals, and the validity has been found to be excellent. All adult patients with a diagnosis code of M72.0 for DC and a surgical procedure code of NDM10 for LF were included in this study. The incidence rate of the first LF declined from 36.5 to 11.7, while the rate of subsequent LF increased from 2.3 to 14.0 from 1997 to 2011 and then declined to 9.3 in 2018. LF was performed significantly more often in men than in women (ratio 4:1). Additionally, it was performed significantly more often in patients between 60 and 79 years than in other age groups. Despite the estimated increase in the prevalence of DC, our data show that the incidence rate of first LF has declined, and there was no discernible consistent trend in the incidence of subsequent LF during the same period.