Acute Pain Intensity After Collagenase Clostridium histolyticum Injection in Patients With Dupuytren Contracture

PURPOSE: To investigate multidimensional pain intensity and quality after collagenase Clostridium histolyticum (CCH) injection in patients with Dupuytren contracture using a pain visual analog scale (VAS) and the revised version of the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ-2). METHODS: This prospective observational study was carried out from 2015 to 2017. As a primary end point, patients completed the pain VAS (range, 0 [no pain] to 100) and SF-MPQ-2 before and after CCH injection; 3, 9, and 24 hours after CCH injection; after the extension procedure; and 3 and 7 days after CCH injection. In addition, they reported the dose and duration of supplementary analgesic use during this period. RESULTS: A total of 41 patients were enrolled in this study (51 joints). Mean pain VAS score (mean ± SD, 34 ± 21) was maximal 9 hours after CCH injection and decreased within the following 7 days. The total score of the SF-MPQ-2 significantly increased after CCH treatment and decreased in the 7 days after the injection. Among the SF-MPQ-2 subscales, the highest and lowest scores after CCH injection were recorded for continuous pain and affected descriptors, respectively. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were most frequently self-administered during 7 days after the extension procedure compared with any other study period. CONCLUSIONS: The pain VAS and SF-MPQ-2 revealed acute pain after CCH injection. However, all examined pain aspects dramatically improved within 7 days after injection. Pain after CCH injection is characterized by low scores in the Affective Descriptors subscale of the SF-MPQ-2. TYPE OF STUDY/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic Ⅳ.