Dupuytren's contracture

Hi organic,
There might be some people who can better help you, being as I'm not yet in med school, but I used to work with a hand surgeon in the US, and saw Dupuytren's contracture frequently. Any hand surgeon would be good at this, this is a very common procedure. I know of some good ones in the midwest, but it seems silly to travel for this to be done, most hand surgeons would be good. The surgery involves making a z-line incision in the hand to get into the tendon aponeurosis and cut out the contracture. Your friend would need a big bandage around his hand for probably a week to two, and after two weeks, the stitches are taken out. He would probably need to wait at least a month or two (most likely even 6) to have the other hand done, since no hand surgeon would want a patient to have limited use in both hands unless necessary. Byt the way, the anesthetic used is a local block (usually a Beir Block) with a tourniquet used to limit the bleeding.
Although Dupuytren's contracture is a hereditary thing, insurance companies will pay (as long as you proceed the way they request, such as getting referrals if necessary). This is not considered a pre-exsisting condition, in fact, it doesnt actually appear until the 50-60s for most people. I dont know the approximate cost, b/c the hospital has their own costs for OR time, etc., but I would say about $2000-3000 for a surgery sounds about right.
Hope this helps.