Okc Doctor Offers Nonsurgical Treatment for Dupuytren's Contracture

Summary

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An Oklahoma City surgeon's new treatment for a debilitating hand disease takes him out of the surgical suite and equips him with a tiny needle filled with a recently approved biologic drug.

Dr. Joel Frazier of the Orthopedic Institute in south Oklahoma City has begun offering an injection for Dupuytren's contracture, a hereditary disease in which collagen buildup in the hands causes thick, ropelike cords to form and the fingers to curl. People with the condition lose the ability to do simple tasks, like wash their face or put their hands in their pockets. Surgery has been the primary option in the past, but it sometimes caused disfigurement, stiffness, numbness and a loss of blood supply to the fingers, which led to amputation, Frazier said.

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Extract

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Okc Doctor Offers Nonsurgical Treatment for Dupuytren's Contracture

The new drug, Xiaflex, features an enzyme from clostridium, also known as flesh-eating bacteria. It is injected into the cords, causing them to weaken and break - sort of a "chemical scal...

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