[Morphologic and hist-enzymatic aspects of palmar aponeurosis in a patient with Marfan syndrome associated with Dupuytren's contracture].

In this study we examined morphological and structural aspects of aponeurotic fragments from one patient with Dupuytren and Marfan diseases. Our purpose was to evaluate if characteristic features of Dupuytren aponeurosis are in some way influenced by alterations in collagenic and elastic bundles present in Marfan syndrome. So we compared histological, enzymatic and immunochemical features of tissue fragments from Marfan with similar fragments from simple Dupuytren patients. We observed a substantial difference in the predominant type of collagen which is adult type I in the normal Dupuytren disease and fetal type III in Marfan patient. Collagenic bundles are more dispersed in Marfan, and the whole aponeurosis seems less compact and resistant. No difference was observed in cellular populations of aponeurosis, and also myofibroblasts are present with abundant myosin ATPase activity both in Marfan with Dupuytren both in Dupuytren alone.