Twelve-years’ experience in minimal invasive Achilles tendon repair using a suture-guiding device

Introduction: Minimal invasive Achilles tendon repair is becoming more and more popular recently. We have evaluated our results in Achilles tendon repair using minimally invasive method by a suture-guiding device. Methods: This is a retrospective review of patients with acute Achilles tendon rupture, which was repaired using minimally invasive method namely the suture-guiding device, that was performed during 2003 to 2015 in our department. Outcome parameters were the incidence of re-rupture, other complications, and the functional outcome. Results: There were 36 men (90%) and 4 women (10%) in this study. Mechanisms of injury were basketball (28%), football (15%), squash (15%), and trauma (13%). The mean operating time was 59 min (range 30–90 min). The mean follow-up time was 8 months (range 3–35 months). The mean duration with casting was 7 weeks. The mean range of movement at 3 months was 8° dorsiflexion and 33° plantar flexion. There was no major complication necessitating surgical re-interventions such as re-ruptures and infections. No patient suffered from dysfunction of the sural nerve or delay wound healing. Conclusion: Minimally invasive Achilles tendon repair using suture-guiding device is a safe and quick procedure with a low rate of re-rupture and a satisfactory short-term and long-term recovery. Level of evidence: IV.

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Biomechanical Comparison of Panda Rope Bridge Technique and Other Minimally Invasive Achilles Tendon Repair Techniques In Vitro

Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.1177/23259671211008436 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (6) ◽

pp. 232596712110084

Author(s):

Ting Wang ◽

Yuan Mu ◽

Yulei Diao ◽

Wenke Liu ◽

Yahong Wu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Minimally Invasive ◽

Achilles Tendon ◽

Tendon Rupture ◽

Achilles Tendon Rupture ◽

Tendon Repair ◽

Biomechanical Properties ◽

Repair System ◽

Postoperative Rehabilitation ◽

Achilles Tendon Repair ◽

Repair Techniques

Background: Although nonoperative management of acute Achilles tendon rupture (ATR) is a reasonable option, surgical repair has attracted attention for young and active patients. More reliable Achilles tendon repair techniques are needed to enhance recovery after ATR in this population. Purpose/Hypothesis: To biomechanically analyze the panda rope bridge technique (PRBT) and compare it with other minimally invasive repair techniques over a simulated, progressive rehabilitation program. It was hypothesized that PRBT would result in better biomechanical properties and enhanced recovery after ATR. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: An Achilles tendon rupture was created 4 cm from the distal tendon insertion site in 40 bovine lower extremities, and specimens were then randomly allocated to 5 Achilles tendon repair techniques: (1) Achillon, (2) modified Achillon, (3) Percutaneous Achilles Repair System (PARS), (4) modified PARS, and (5) PRBT. Each group was subjected to a cyclic loading protocol that was representative of progressive postoperative rehabilitation for ATR (250 cycles at 1 Hz for each loading stage: 20-100 N, 20-200 N, 20-300 N, and 20-400 N). Results: The PRBT technique demonstrated significantly less elongation (1.62 ± 0.25 mm) than the 4 other repair techniques after the first loading stage of 20 to 100 N ( P < .05). All specimens in the 4 other groups developed a large gap (elongation ≥5 mm) at the 20- to 200-N loading stage. When overall biomechanical performance was examined, the PRBT group exhibited higher strength (20-400 N) and more mean loading cycles (984 ± 10) compared with the 4 other groups ( P < .05). Conclusion: In this bovine model, PRBT biomechanically outperformed the other minimally invasive Achilles tendon repair techniques that were tested and could therefore meet the requirements of accelerated rehabilitation. Clinical Relevance: The reduced tendency for premature rerupture and the overall improved biomechanical properties of PRBT suggest that ATR patients treated with PRBT may more readily complete early and aggressive postoperative rehabilitation protocols. In addition, they may have a lower risk of early irreversible suture failure.

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Clinical Outcomes and Ultrasonic Evaluation of Percutaneous Achilles Tendon Repair

10.21203/rs.3.rs-590571/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ben-Mao Liu ◽

Hung-Chou Chen ◽

Chen-Kun Liaw ◽

Chia-Hsien Chen ◽

Chih-Hwa Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Achilles Tendon ◽

Clinical Outcomes ◽

Sural Nerve ◽

Tendon Rupture ◽

Achilles Tendon Rupture ◽

Tendon Repair ◽

Wound Complications ◽

Ultrasonic Evaluation ◽

Achilles Tendon Repair ◽

The Mean

Abstract BackgroundAchilles tendon rupture remains one of the most common tendon injuries in adult population. At present, randomized studies have failed to demonstrate the optimal management of Achilles tendon rupture. Wound complications have been significantly minimized since the emergence of percutaneous repairs when compared to traditional open methods. However, some studies suggested a higher incidence of rerupture rates and iatrogenic sural nerve injuries. The goal of this study was to present the clinical outcomes and ultrasonic evaluation of percutaneous Achilles tendon repair.MethodsBetween August 2015 and May 2018, 36 patients with an acute Achilles tendon rupture, treated in percutaneous repair, were studied retrospectively. American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) score and the 10-point visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain questionnaires were sent to assess the clinical and functional outcomes. Ultrasonic evaluation was recorded using Möller grading system as an objective measurement.ResultsThe 25 male and 11 female (mean age 47.03 years) were clinically followed-up for a minimum of 12 months (average 28.97 months). No wound complications or reruptures occurred. Four(11.1%) patients reported sural nerve hypoesthesia and one of them required additional treatment. The mean AOFAS and VAS score was 92.6 and 1.8 respectively at the 12th postoperative month. Ultrasonic evaluation was performed at the average follow-up of 18.3 months and the mean points were 1.8. All treated tendons were healthily recovered and all patients were able to return to previous work or activities.ConclusionPercutaneous Achilles tendon repair offers good clinical outcome and no apparent increased risk of reruptures. The risk of iatrogenic sural nerve injury, however, remains the most occurred complication. Ultrasound can be used to visualize and examine the repaired tendon, which demonstrated satisfying healing process.

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Endoscopy-Assisted Achilles Tendon Reconstruction With a Central Turndown Flap and Semitendinosus Augmentation

Foot & Ankle International ◽

10.1177/1071100716666365 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 37 (12) ◽

pp. 1333-1342 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Prashant N. Gedam ◽

Faizaan M. Rushnaiwala

Keyword(s):

Minimally Invasive ◽

Achilles Tendon ◽

Achilles Tendon Rupture ◽

Wound Complication ◽

Reconstruction Technique ◽

Level Of Evidence ◽

Invasive Approach ◽

Perioperative Morbidity ◽

The Mean

Background: The objective of this study was to report the results of a new minimally invasive Achilles reconstruction technique and to assess the perioperative morbidity, medium- to long-term outcomes, and functional results. Methods: Our series was comprised 14 patients (11 men and 3 women), with a mean age of 45.6 years at surgery. Each patient had a chronic Achilles tendon rupture. The mean interval from rupture to surgery was 5.5 months (range, 2-10). The mean total follow-up was 30.1 months (range, 12-78). All patients were operated with a central turndown flap augmented with free semitendinosus tendon graft and percutaneous sutures in a minimally invasive approach assisted by endoscopy. The patients underwent retrospective assessment by clinical examination, the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle and hindfoot score, and the Achilles Tendon Total Rupture Score (ATRS). Paired t tests were used to assess the preoperative and postoperative AOFAS scores, ATRS scores, and ankle range of motion. Results: The length of the defect ranged from 3 to 8 cm (mean, 5.1), while the length of the turndown flap ranged from 8 to 13 cm (mean, 10.1). The mean AOFAS score improved from 64.5 points preoperatively to 96.9 points at last follow-up. The mean ATRS score improved from 49.4 preoperatively to 91.4 points at last follow-up. None of the patients developed a wound complication. No patient had a rerupture or sural nerve damage. Conclusion: All patients in our study had a favorable outcome with no complications. We believe that with this triple-repair technique, one can achieve a strong and robust repair such as in open surgery while at the same time reducing the incidence of complications. Level of Evidence: Level III, retrospective comparative study.

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Transverse versus longitudinal incision for minimally invasive Achilles tendon repair

Foot & Ankle Orthopaedics ◽

10.1177/2473011418s00161 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 3 (3) ◽

pp. 2473011418S0016

Author(s):

Daniel Bohl ◽

Eric Barnard ◽

Kamran Movassaghi ◽

Kamran Hamid ◽

Adam Schiff

Keyword(s):

Minimally Invasive ◽

Achilles Tendon ◽

Suture Material ◽

Tendon Repair ◽

Wound Complications ◽

Transverse Incision ◽

Longitudinal Incision ◽

Achilles Tendon Repair ◽

Deep Suture ◽

No Tourniquet

Category: Sports Introduction/Purpose: The rate of wound complications following traditional open Achilles tendon repair is reported at 7-8%. In an effort to reduce the rate of wound complications, orthopaedic surgeons have adopted novel minimally invasive techniques. The purpose of this study is to characterize the rate of wound and other early complications following a minimally invasive Achilles tendon repair, to identify any factors associated with increased risk. Methods: The postoperative courses of 55 patients who underwent minimally invasive Achilles tendon repair by two surgeons at separate academic medical centers were retrospectively reviewed. Repair technique was similar in all cases, making use of the same commercially available suture-guidance jig, silicone-impregnated deep suture material, and locking stitch technique. However, 31 procedures used a longitudinal incision and a tourniquet (one surgeon’s preference), while 24 procedures used a transverse incision and no tourniquet (the second surgeon’s preference). Of the 24 procedures using transverse incisions, 2 had to be converted to L-shaped incisions to achieve better access to the tendon. The rates of early complications within 3 months after surgery were characterized and compared between patients with differing procedural characteristics. Results: Of the 55 patients included in the study, 2 (3.6%) developed wound complications. Both wound complications appeared to be reactions to the deep suture material (see Table 1 for details). There was no statistical difference in the rate of wound complications between patients in the longitudinal incision/tourniquet group and patients in the transverse incision/no tourniquet group (6.5% versus 0.0%; p=0.499). Three patients (5.5%) developed sural neuropraxia, which manifested as mild-to-moderate subjective numbness with sensation remaining intact to light touch. There were no cases of re-rupture. At 3-month follow-up, all 55 patients had intact Thompson tests and well-healed wounds. Conclusion: The rate of wound complications following minimally invasive Achilles repair is low at 3.6%. The present study could not demonstrate a difference in risk for wound complications between patients treated with a longitudinal incision and tourniquet and patients treated with a transverse incision and no tourniquet. The wound complications we observed were primarily attributable to inflammatory reactions to the silicone-impregnated deep suture material. Patients should be counseled that although risk for wound complications may be lower with minimally invasive techniques, such techniques do risk sural neuropraxia and deep suture reaction. Further prospective analysis is warranted.

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Minimally Invasive Achilles Tendon Repair Using the Achillon Repair System

Techniques in Foot & Ankle Surgery ◽

10.1097/01.btf.0000235234.20325.f7 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 5 (3) ◽

pp. 171-174 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Andrew J. Elliott ◽

John G. Kennedy ◽

Martin O'Malley

Keyword(s):

Minimally Invasive ◽

Achilles Tendon ◽

Tendon Repair ◽

Repair System ◽

Achilles Tendon Repair

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Arthroscopically-Asissted Achilles Tendon Repair; Long-Term Results

Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.1177/2325967114s00222 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 2 (11_suppl3) ◽

pp. 2325967114S0022

Author(s):

Akın Turgut ◽

Mert Zeynel Asfuroğlu

Keyword(s):

Achilles Tendon ◽

Range Of Motion ◽

Sural Nerve ◽

Plantar Flexion ◽

Tendon Repair ◽

Long Term Results ◽

Calf Circumference ◽

Achilles Tendon Repair ◽

Arthroscopically Assisted

Objectives: The ruptures of the Achilles tendon (AT) are relatively common. Since there is no consensus on the best method of the repair of the AT; the treatment is determined on the preference of the surgeon and the patient. The study evaluating the cadaveric and short term clinical results done by our clinic in 2002, has shown us that arthroscopically Achilles tendon repair can be good choise in achilles tendon ruptures. Methods: Fortyfour patients who underwent arthroscopically assisted achilles tendon repair during 1997-2011 in Osmangazi University Orthopaedics and Traumatology Department were retrospectively observed. The mean follow-up time was 69,7 months. One of patients had bilateral rupture. The diagnosis was based on loss of plantar flexion strength, palpation of the gap in the tendon, and a positive Thompson test. MRI and USG were used when needed. The ruptures were left-sided in nineteen patients and right-sided in twentysix. The cause of the rupture was recreational sports activity in thirtyeight, fall from height in four, missing a step in a staircase in two. Return the regular activity, ankle range of motion as compared with the opposite side, calf circumference, and ability to walk and stand tiptoe were recorded. All patients were operated on within 2-32 days after the rupture. Thirtysix operations were performed under spinal anesthesia and eight operations were performed under general anesthesia. Tourniquet was always used. Before starting the procedure, the rupture site and location of the gap are marked. Using the common videoarthroscopic instruments, a 70 degrees scope was inserted into the AT through the stab incision made previously, and the torn ends of the tendon were visualized with plantar flexion an extension of the ankle. After the visualization of the torn ends of the tendon and repair by the technique of Ma and Griffith care was focused to contact the ends of the tendon anatomically; then the sutures were knotted. A short leg circular cast with the ankle in slight plantar flexion was applied. American Orthopaedics Foot-Ankle Society (AOFAS) score was used to evaluate the long-term results.. Results: All patients had satisfactory results that no reruptures had occurred. No significant difference in range of motion of the ankle and calf circumference between the opposite sides was observed in any patient. All patients could walk and stand on tiptoe. AOFAS mean score was 94.5 (65-100). The interval from injury to return to regular work and activities was 8-10 weeks. All the patients were able to return back to their activity level before surgery. In three patients temporary sural hypoestesia, in one patient permanent sural hipoestesia and in one patient wound enfection appeared. No sensory deficit was detected in the temporary sural hypoestesia patients after postoperative second year controls. Medical care was supported to the patient with the wound enfection and the enfection was under control in the early stages. Conclusion: In summary; arthroscopically-assisted percutaneous repair of AT appears to overcome some certain problems of open, conservative and percutaneous techniques; but the neurovascular structure damage risk especially the sural nerve remains a potent problem. Accurate knowledge of the anatomy appears to be a solution. Novel percutaneous repairs have been promising to minimize the risk of sural nerve damage.

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Mini- open Minimally Invasive Achilles Tendon Repair

Minimally Invasive Surgery in Orthopedics ◽

10.1007/978-3-319-15206-6_98-2 ◽

2016 ◽

pp. 1-9

Author(s):

Serdar Yuksel ◽

Mark E. Easley

Keyword(s):

Minimally Invasive ◽

Achilles Tendon ◽

Tendon Repair ◽

Achilles Tendon Repair ◽

Mini Open

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The Clinical Outcomes After a Novel Mini-Open Achilles Tendon Repair

Foot & Ankle Orthopaedics ◽

10.1177/2473011420s00095 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (4) ◽

pp. 2473011420S0009

Author(s):

Craig C. Akoh ◽

Amanda N. Fletcher ◽

Selene G. Parekh ◽

Akhil Sharma

Keyword(s):

Achilles Tendon ◽

Clinical Outcomes ◽

Tendon Repair ◽

Postoperative Outcomes ◽

Categorical Variables ◽

Foot And Ankle ◽

Achilles Tendon Repair ◽

Tendon Ruptures ◽

The Mean ◽

Mini Open

Category: Sports; Other Introduction/Purpose: Achilles tendon ruptures are a common sporting injury, mostly occurring in men over the age of 40. Operative repair of Achilles tendon can lead to earlier return to activity and improved function in the active population. Mini-open repairs have recently been described for effective treatment of Achilles tendon ruptures. We aim to describe our unique mini- open Achilles tendon repair technique and to report our clinical outcomes. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed charts of patients from January 2010 and July 2019 who underwent a 3cm mini-open Achilles tendon repairs, without additional targeting devices, for closed acute Achilles tendon ruptures. Patients were followed up for a minimum of one year. We recorded pre- and postoperative Foot and Ankle Disability Index (FADI), visual analog scale (VAS), and the Foot and Ankle Outcome Score (FAOS) scores. Subgroup analysis were performed for acute repairs (< 2 weeks) and subacute (2-6 weeks). Two-sided student’s t-test to compare preoperative and postoperative outcomes for continuous variables. Chi-square analyses were used to determine the strength of correlation between categorical variables. A p-value of < .05 was considered significant for all statistical analyses. Results: A total of 33 patients met the inclusion criteria and are included in this study. The mean age of our cohort was 43.8 years old (range 22-78) and 78.8% of patients were male. The mean length of follow-up was 4.4 years (range 1.0-9.8 years). The mean time from injury to surgery was 15.6 days (1-45 days). Patients reported a mean return to their previous level of activity at a mean of 5.6 months (range 1.7-22.1). The mean pre- and postoperative outcomes scores improved significantly for both the acute and subacute repair groups (p < 0.05). There were no significant differences for postoperative outcomes scores between the acute and subacute Achilles repair groups (p > 0.05). There were no reported complications in our patient cohort. Conclusion: Patients showed improvements in postoperative patient-reported outcome scores with minimal complications. There were no significant difference in outcomes for acute versus subacute repairs. Our mini-open Achilles tendon repair, which required no additional targeting instrumentation, has shown favorable mid-term results.

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