Project description:In the treatment of acute Achilles tendon rupture, recent studies demonstrate that conservative treatment with functional rehabilitation provides good results, with nearly identical postoperative rerupture rates when compared with surgical treatment. Surgical treatment is indicated in patients with particular conditions, such as patients who are young active athletes who require early return to play or those who wish to avoid the muscle atrophy associated with conservative methods. If surgery is the selected option for treatment, the postoperative complications of each type of surgery must be considered. In conventional open repair, the most common complication is soft-tissue infection due to the high tension of soft tissue affected from the bowstring of the repaired tendon being kept in the equinus position of the ankle. For percutaneous methods, sural nerve entrapment and injury are the most commonly reported complications. Other methods, including endoscopy, require technical expertise as well as special equipment. Several types of combination approaches have been explored in the literature. We describe a combined open and percutaneous technique to repair the Achilles tendon, called the hybrid Achilles tendon repair. This technique has been developed to provide a simplified and reproducible method of hybrid repair in which the complications of previous methods are avoided and which can be done without special equipment.
Project description:To date, there is no consensus concerning the treatment of acute Achilles tendon ruptures. Although surgical treatment decreases the risk of a recurrent rupture, it is not without complications. In particular, percutaneous sutures may cause a lesion of the sural nerve. The purpose of this Technical Note is to describe a reliable and reproducible surgical procedure for treating these lesions. The first operative phase consists of an ultrasound detection that makes it possible to identify the tendon extremities and the sural nerve, which is necessary to secure the posterolateral arthroscopic tract as well as to perform the percutaneous suture. The entry point is thus centered on the lesion and placed at a distance from any surrounding nerve risk. The second arthroscopic phase makes it possible to release the tendon lesion, control the transtendon passage of the surgical threads, and evaluate the dynamic contact of the tendon edges. At the end of the intervention, the complete disappearance from the transillumination via the rupture also makes it possible to ensure the disappearance of the tendon gap. Achilles tendon percutaneous sutures after the ultrasound detection and under arthroscopic control thus makes it possible to control the contact of the tendon edges, while at the same time decreasing the risk of a lesion of the sural nerve, with minimal scarring.
Project description:BackgroundTo reduce incision complications, minimally invasive operative approaches for treatment with acute Achilles tendon rupture have been developed, such as Mini-open repair and percutaneous repair. Which technique is the better surgical option? In the present study, we compared the two surgical procedures- modified Mini-open repair versus percutaneous repair-in the treatment of acute Achilles tendon rupture.MethodsFrom January 2016 to November 2018, 68 matched patients with acute Achilles tendon rupture were divided into treatment group (Mini-open with modified Ma-Griffith technique) and control group (the Ma-Griffith technique). The patients were then treated with different surgical techniques and followed up for no less than 24 months, and the functional outcome scores and complications were retrospectively evaluated.ResultsThe mean follow-up time in Mini-open repair group was 29.0±2.9 months, and that in control group was 27.9±2.9 months (P=0.147). The Mini-open repair group showed reliably higher American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) Ankle-Hindfoot Score and Achilles tendon Total Rupture Score (ATRS) than the control group in functional assessment (95.0±3.8 vs. 92.3±5.3, P=0.000; 93.8±3.8 vs. 90.9±4.5,P=0.000). There was no cases of sural nerve injury in Mini-open repair group, whereas the percutaneous repair group had 5 cases of the same (P=0.027). No significant differences were found in the calf circumference (32.3±3.9 vs. 31.8±3.6) (P=0.564), range of motion of the ankle (51.3±4.8 vs. 50.5±4.2, P=0.362), or wound complications (34/0 vs. 34/0) (P=1.000) between the two groups at the end of the follow-up time. However, the percutaneous repair group had a shorter average operating time (23.1±5.2 min) than that of the Mini-open repair group (27.7±4.3 min) (P=0.000).ConclusionsAcute Achilles tendon ruptures may be treated successfully with a new Mini-open repair system or percutaneous repair technique. However, the Mini-open repair system may represent a superior surgical option, since it offers advantages in terms of direct visual control of the repair, AOFAS Ankle-Hindfoot Score, Achilles tendon Total Rupture Score and risk of sural nerve palsy.Study designCase-control studies, Level of evidence, 3.
Project description:Achilles tendon injuries have been on the rise secondary to our increased participation in sports, increase in societal obesity rates, and the growing elderly population. There has been disagreement in recent years about whether to treat injuries such as Achilles tendon ruptures operatively or nonoperatively with aggressive functional rehabilitation. For those opting to surgically manage Achilles tendon ruptures, insertional Achilles tendonitis, or augment the described SpeedBridge Achilles tendon repair, we propose a modified rip-stop technique. The goal of this technique is to provide a biomechanical advantage to our current operative interventions for these injuries, a greater load-to-failure and a speedier, more reliable return to sport in our athletic populations.
Project description:IntroductionVarious impairments such as soleus atrophy and consecutive functional deficits in end-range plantarflexion have been described in surgical repair of acute Achilles tendon rupture. The aim of this study was to assess the functional performance at midterm following open surgical repair.Materials and methodsThis cross-sectional study includes n = 52 patients which were tested on average 3.5 ± 1.4 years postoperatively using three different functional performance tests and patient-reported outcome measures. Two different surgical techniques (anatomical repair = AR vs. conventional repair = CR) were compared in a subanalysis. The testing included isokinetic strength testing, a novel setup of heel-rise testing using a marker-based 3D motion analysis system and a gait analysis.ResultsAt an average 3.5 years post-surgery, there is a persisting deficit in plantarflexion strength of 10.2%. Moreover, analysis of maximum peak torque angle and strength deficits according to the plantarflexion angle revealed that these deficits are not equally distributed across the range of motion. AR results in a significantly smaller deficit at 10° of plantarflexion compared to CR (13.9 vs. 29.9%, p < 0.05). This reflects into the functional performance during different modalities (static vs. dynamic) in this novel method of heel-rise testing.ConclusionIn summary, there are persisting functional deficits at > 3 years following Achilles tendon repair which range from strength deficits to specific impairments of functional performance e.g. during heel rise. Anatomical reconstruction is associated with an improved functional performance potentially due to a more symmetric strength during end-range plantarflexion which transfers into a higher satisfaction during athletic activities.Level of evidenceIII, retrospective cohort study.
Project description:The aim of this study is to introduce a self-designed, minimally invasive technique for repairing an acute Achilles tendon rupture percutaneously. Comparing with the traditional open repair, the new technique provides obvious advantages of minimized operation-related lesions, fewer wound complications as well as a higher healing rate. However, a percutaneous technique without direct vision may be criticized by its insufficient anastomosis of Achilles tendon and may also lead to the lengthening of the Achilles tendon and a reduction in the strength of the gastrocnemius. To address the potential problems, we have improved our technique using a percutaneous Kirschner wire leverage process before suturing, which can effectively recover the length of the Achilles tendon and ensure the broken ends are in tight contact. With this improvement in technique, we have great confidence that it will become the treatment of choice for acute Achilles tendon ruptures.
Project description:Revision quadriceps tendon repair presents a challenging problem for the treating surgeon because of associated anatomic defects such as large tendon-gap deficits and preexistent poor tissue quality. Current methods for revision quadriceps tendon repair use tendon autograft, which may predispose to additional morbidity because the repair relies only on soft tissue fixation. In this Technical Note, we describe a technique for revision of a failed quadriceps tendon repair with a large tendon gap using a trapezoidal plug Achilles tendon allograft. This technique constitutes a safe and effective approach to revising failed primary quadriceps tendon repairs, is suitable for large-gap defects, and has the ability to withstand large force transmissions.
Project description:PurposePercutaneous repair is a good option for acute Achilles tendon rupture. Although it overcomes the complications of open technique, it carries the risk of sural nerve injury and inadequate repair. In this study, we explore if the use of intra-operative ultrasound with percutaneous technique has any advantageous effect on final results of repair.MethodsThis is a prospective randomized study done between May 2014 and December 2020. It included 91 patients with complete acute Achilles tendon rupture distributed in 2 groups with homogenous clinical and demographic data. Group A (n = 47) included those managed by percutaneous repair with assistant of an intra-operative ultrasound. Group B (n = 44) included those done without the assistant of ultrasound. Post-operative evaluation was done clinically by the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society score, calf muscle circumference and single heel rise test and radiologically by Magnetic Resonance Image.ResultsPatients of both groups reported continuous improvement of the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society score with time. However, patient of group A recorded better functional outcome score at 3 months postoperatively. We recorded longer operative time in group A than those in group B. Continuous improvement of maximum calf circumference was observed in both groups. Satisfactory healing was noticed to happen faster in patients of group A than those of group B. We recorded two cases of re-rupture and two cases of sural nerve injury in group B with no reported complication in group A.ConclusionThe use of an intra-operative ultrasound with percutaneous repair of acute rupture of Achilles tendon can improve the quality of repair as evidenced by quicker satisfactory healing and earlier regain of activity. Also, it can help in proper localization of sural nerve in relation to lateral edge of Achilles tendon.Trial registrationClinical Trials.gov Identifier: NCT04935281.
Project description:Achilles tendon ruptures are common injuries seen by orthopaedic surgeons. A myriad of surgical options have been used in the management of Achilles tendon ruptures, but currently no gold standard exists. Re-rupture of Achilles tendon injuries occurs 1.7% to 5.6% of the time, and there has been no direct relationship demonstrated between complications and repair techniques used. The aim of this technique is to provide a method of fixation for the patient with an Achilles tendon re-rupture that provides a stable repair construct and mitigates the potential sequela of re-rupture. We describe the treatment of an Achilles tendon re-rupture with the use of a flexor hallucis longus tendon transfer and posterior tibial tendon allograft for repair of an 8.5 cm tendon gap.