Advantages of semi-closed over open method of repair of ruptured Achilles tendon

A retrospective survey of 49 patients with 50 spontaneous ruptures of the Achilles tendon was made from 1 to 11 years after operation. Sixteen had repair by a semiclosed technique and were in hospital an average of 1.3 days. All tendons healed well; one patient had a superficial wound infection whic...

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Published inFoot and ankle surgery Vol. 6; no. 1; pp. 27 - 30
Main Authors Atherton, W.G., Dangas, S., Henry, A.P.J.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Oxford, UK Elsevier Ltd 2000
Blackwell Science Ltd
Elsevier
Subjects
Achilles tendon
Biological and medical sciences
Medical sciences
operative surgical procedures
Orthopedic surgery
postoperative complications
rupture
Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases
suture techniques
tendon repair
suture techniques
postoperative complications
Achilles tendon
operative surgical procedures
tendon repair
rupture
Juxtaarticular disease
Human
Orthopedic surgery
Prognosis
Treatment
Tendo calcaneus
Spontaneous
Diseases of the osteoarticular system
Tissue rupture
Surgical approach
Suturation
Technique
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Summary:A retrospective survey of 49 patients with 50 spontaneous ruptures of the Achilles tendon was made from 1 to 11 years after operation. Sixteen had repair by a semiclosed technique and were in hospital an average of 1.3 days. All tendons healed well; one patient had a superficial wound infection which settled without antibiotics. All calves developed good power; one had an asymptomatic 10° of increased dorsiflexion. There were no re-operations, re-ruptures or significant long-term complications. Thirty-five had open repair and were in hospital an average of 3.5 days with significantly more complications ( P < 0.03 Fisher Exact Test). There were six wound infections, three requiring de-sloughing, one requiring later skin grafting, one requiring drainage and later curettage of a sinus. Two re-ruptured; seven had painful adherence of the scar to the tendon and four had significant residual calf muscle weakness. Thus the semiclosed method gave as strong a repair as the open method, with fewer wound complications and a shorter hospital stay.
ISSN:1268-7731
1460-9584
DOI:10.1046/j.1460-9584.2000.00190.x