The Potential Relationship Between the Palmaris Longus Muscle Prevalence and Dupuytren Disease: a Comparative Study

Dupuytren disease is also known as Dupuytren contracture. It is a medical condition characterized by the painless formation of nodules in the palm of the hand. As the disease progresses, approximately 21% - 50% of all patients experience a transformation of these nodules (stage 0/N of Tubiana) into cord-like structures. These cords, in turn, lead to finger contractures (Tubiana stages 1-4) with impairment of hand mobility and stiffening of the palmar skin. The cords are formed on the palmar fascia, a connective tissue sheet in the palm of the hand. This fascia is seen as the vestigial remnant of the palmaris longus tendon. The PLM attaches to the fascia palmaris. A muscle that not everyone has and can therefore be clearly missed. This raises the question of whether the presence of the musculus palmaris longus has any association with the development, recurrence and/or progression of DD and contractures. To investigate a potential predisposition, this study intend to assess the prevalence of the PLM in a group of individuals affected by DD and compare it with a control group (age matched, no signs of DD) without the condition. Interestingly, prior research has already explored this topic. Despite the publication dating back to 1986, it reported a significantly higher occurrence of the palmaris longus tendon in patients affected by DD. Furthermore, a second article from the same year concluded a significant decrease in recurrence when the palmaris longus tendon was resected in combination with regional fasciectomy. Remarkably, no other research on this topic was found despite the promising results of both articles.