Dupuytren's disease is a common and disabling condition. Its pathophysiology is not well understood. Some patients complain of postoperative loss of fingertip sensitivity that could be due either to the surgery or to the disease itself. Our hypothesis is that distal sensory disorders are a component of Dupuytren's disease.

We performed a prospective, single-center study to compare two populations: controls and patients with Dupuytren's disease. Subjects were excluded if they were under 18 years of age or had any disease or treatment that could alter finger sensitivity or test comprehension. Sensitivity was determined using Weber's static two-point discrimination test. Each ray of the tested hand in the Dupuytren's patients was classified as healthy or diseased; the diseased rays were graded using the Tubiana stages and the type of involvement (pure digital, pure palmar, palmar-digital).

The study enrolled 56 patients in two comparable groups of 28 patients and 28 controls. A statistically significant difference was found between the affected hands of Dupuytren's patients and the hands of the controls. There was also a significant difference in the mean sensitivity of affected and normal rays in the Dupuytren's patients.

Preoperative distal sensory disorders are a component of Dupuytren's disease that could be related to neuropathy and/or mechanical nerve compression.

IV, case-control study, diagnostic study.