Planter fibromatosis: An immunohistochemical and ultrastructural study

The analogies between plantar fibromatosis and Dupuytren's disease (palmar fibromatosis) are well known. The latter is clinically more frequent and ha s been the object of extensive immunohistochemical and ultrastructural stud ies, with a view to investigating its pathogenesis. By contrast, such data on plantar fibromatosis are quite scarce. A histochemical, immunohistochemi cal, and ultrastructural study was performed on nodule tissue from six pati ents who were subjected to total fasciectomy for plantar fibromatosis. The study of myofibroblasts revealed features suggestive of their fibroblastic origin and evidenced a cytoskeleton and an extracellular filamentous system that could enable myofibroblasts to generate and exert the intracellular f orces that contribute to the contraction of the aponeurosis. These aspects are similar to those observed in Dupuytren's disease and seem to lend suppo rt to the theory that the two diseases are expressions of the same disorder .