Background Needle aponeurotomy and collagenase injection are alternative treatments of Dupuytren's contracture to open partial fasciectomy; however, reported data are difficult to interpret without a formal systematic review. Methods A Medline, EMBASE, and Cochrane database search was performed, and 277 articles were identified. Articles were stratified by level of evidence, and those of the highest level for each technique were included. Evidence available for needle aponeurotomy was of low quality so only cohorts larger than 100 patients were included. Results The sample size of patients for open partial fasciectomy ranged from 37-261. The recurrence rate ranged from 12-39%, with mean follow-up time of 1.5-7.3 years. The complication rate ranged from 14-67%. Complications included nerve division (2-5%), infection (4-12%), neurapraxia (0.4-52%), and regional pain syndrome (2-13%). For needle aponeurotomy the sample size ranged from 117-211. The recurrence rate ranged from 50-58%, with mean follow-up time of 3-5 years. With regard to collagenase injection, the sample size ranged from 13-204. The recurrence rate ranged from 10-31%, with mean follow-up time of 120 days to 4 years. For the two latter procedures, adverse effects consisted primarily of skin tears (9-25%). Kruskal-Wallis testing demonstrated that the recurrence rate was significantly higher for needle aponeurotomy than for open partial fasciectomy (p=0.001), and the recurrence rate was significantly higher for open partial fasciectomy than for collagenase injection (p=0.001). Conclusions The recurrence rates and types of complications differ between open partial fasciectomy and needle aponeurotomy or collagenase injection. Long-term outcomes have not been well reported.

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