Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of interference screw and flexor hallucis longus tendon as augmentation material in repair of chronic Achilles tendon rupture. Methods From October 2004 to June 2007, 32 patients (35 feet) with chronic Achilles tendon rupture were treated, including 21 males (22 feet) and 11 females (13 feet) and aging 32-85 years. The disease course was 4-132 days. There were 29 patients with hoofl ike movements history and 3 patients withoutobvious inducement. The result of Thompson test was positive in 31 cases (33 feet). The score was 56.09 ± 7.25 according to the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society ankle-hindfoot scoring system (AOFAS). MRI indicated that the gap of the chronic Achilles tendon rupture was 0.5-5.0 cm. Medial foot incision associated with medial heel incision or only medial heel incision was made to harvest flexor hallucis longus tendon. The tendon should be 3 cm longer than the end of the Achilles tendon, then fix the tendon to the calcaneus. Results Wound dehiscence occurred and wound healed after dressing change in 1 case; wound healed by first intention in other patients. Thirty-two patients were followed up for 12-32 months (mean 19.4 months). The AOFAS score was 94.22 ± 4.63, showing statistically significant difference when compared with that before operation (P lt; 0.01). The results were excellent in 28 cases, good in 3 cases and fair in 1 case. No sural nerve injury, posterior tibial nerve injury, plantar painful scar, medial plantar nerve injury and lateral plantar nerve injury occurred. Conclusion Flexor hallucis longus tendon transfer offers a desirable outcome in operative recovery, tendon fixation and compl ications.
Old achilles tendon rupture accompanied by skin defect was a common amp; annoying problem in clinic. From June, 1985 to June, 1996, 18 cases with this kind of injury were treated by one stage repair of the tendon and skin defect. In this series, there were 15 males and 3 females, the length of tendon defects were ranged from 4 cm-6.1 cm, and the area of skin defect were ranged from 5.9 cm x 3 cm to 8.2 cm x 6 cm. The procedures were: (1) to debridement of the wound thoroughly; (2) to repair the achilles tendon; (3) to repair the skin defect with kinds of pedicle flap; (4) immobilization of ankle and knee for 6 weeks. No infection was occured after the operation. The flaps survived in all cases. After follow-up for one year in 15 cases, 12 patients went back to their work. It was concluded that (1) achilles tendon rupture should be treated carefully and properly during the emergency operation; (2) different methods should be selected according to the length of tendon defect; (3) because of its high survival and retained sensation after operation, the flap pedicled with posterior lateral malleolar artery is the best choice for repairing the skin defect.
OBJECTIVE To investigate the clinical result and influence factors of prognosis after repair of ruptured Achilles tendon with operative treatment. METHODS From 1961 to 1994, 62 cases with ruptured Achilles tendon were treated operatively. Among them, "8"-shaped suture was used in 8 cases, aponeurosis flap repair in 30 cases, transfer repair of tendon of peroneus longus muscle in 2 cases, reverse "V-Y" shaped tendon plastic operation in 10 cases, and mattress suture of opposite ends in 12 cases. RESULTS Followed up 3 to 33 years, there was excellent in 40 cases, better in 13 cases, moderate in 6 cases, poor in 3 cases, 85.5% in excellent rate. Postoperative infection and re-rupture were occurred in 6 cases respectively. CONCLUSION Different operative procedures are adopted to achieve better long-term clinical result according to the injury types.
OBJECTIVE: To explore the methods of treatment for old achilles tendon rupture merging with skin defect. METHODS: By following up retrospectively 10 patients from February 1995 to December 2001, we analyzed the operative methods, the points for attention and the results. Gastrocnemius musculocutaneous flaps were used in 3 cases, foot lateral skin flaps in 4 cases, superior medial malleolus skin flaps in 2 cases, and sural neural skin flap in 1 case. The Achilles tendon was sutured directly in 8 patients, with Lindholm’s technique in 2 patients. RESULTS: All flaps survived and the wound healed well in 8 cases and reruptured in 2 cases. According to Yin Qing-shui’s criteria to test the efficacy, the results were excellent in 5 patients, good in 4 and poor in 1. CONCLUSION: Repairing the old Achilles tendon rupture merging with skin defect by use of microsurgery has good results and plays an important role in reducing joint contracture and stiffness, and in saving the ability to push forward and flex.
ObjectiveTo evaluate the short-term effectiveness of the short incision and non-end-to-end suturing system in the treatment of acute closed Achilles tendon rupture. MethodsBetween September 2011 and September 2013, 22 patients with acute Achilles tendon rupture were treated with self-designed minimally invasive non-end-to-end suturing system. There were 16 males and 6 females, aged from 22 to 55 years (mean, 32.6 years). The left side was involved in 12 cases and the right side in 10 cases. The causes included sports injury in 16 patients, violent injury in 4 patients, and falling injury in 2 patients. MRI revealed that the distance from the ruptured site to the calcaneal tuberosity ranged from 40 to 70 mm (mean, 35 mm). The duration from injury to surgery ranged from 0.5 to 7 days (mean, 4.2 days). The incision of 4 cm in length was made at the initial point of Achilles tendon, and minimally invasive non-end-to-end suturing system was used to hold the Achilles. The ruptured tendon was sutured with two non-absorbed thread. The limb was fixed with plaster for 6 weeks. ResultsThe incision all healed by first intention without complications of sural nerve damage and infection. All patients were followed up 8-14 months (mean, 11 months). According to the Arner-Lindholm functional score criteria, the results were excellent in 19 cases and good in 3 cases. No Achilles tendon rupture happened again during follow-up. ConclusionThe small incision with non-end-to-end suturing system is an effective operation strategy for treatment of acute Achilles rupture. The patients can do function exercise at early-stage with satisfatory short-term effectiveness.
ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical application and effectiveness of V-Y plasty combined with gastrocnemius aponeurosis turndown in the repair of Myerson type Ⅲ chronic Achilles tendon rupture combined with large tendon defect. MethodsBetween February 2008 and July 2019, 25 patients underwent the V-Y plasty combined with gastrocnemius aponeurosis turndown to treat the Myerson type Ⅲ chronic Achilles tendon rupture. There were 21 males and 4 females. The age ranged from 17 to 56 years, with an average of 34.3 years. Achilles tendon rupture was caused by sports injury in all patients, and the duration from Achilles tendon rupture to operation was 31-70 days, with an average of 53.9 days. After resection of fibrous scar tissue, the distance of Achilles tendon defect was 7-12 cm, with an average of 9.04 cm. The clinical results were evaluated by the Achilles tendon total rupture score (ATRS), American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) score, dorsiflexion and heel raise height before and after operation. Results The donor and recipient wounds of all 25 cases healed by first intention after operation. All patients were followed up 24 months. During the follow-up, 3 patients developed mild wound infection, which was cured after anti-infection treatment. One patient had Achilles tendon exposure, which was cured after local flap transfer and repair. Ultrasound and MRI reexamination at 3-12 months after operation showed no Achilles tendon elongation, adhesion, or re-rupture. At 24 months after operation, the ATRS score, AOFAS score, dorsiflexion and heel raise height of affected side significantly improved when compared with those before operation (P<0.05). However, the dorsiflexion and heel raise height of affected side were still significantly worse than those of the healthy side (P<0.05). ConclusionV-Y plasty combined with gastrocnemius aponeurosis turndown to repair the chronic Achilles tendon rupture can achieve good effectiveness, and the Achilles tendon function significantly improved after repair. However, the procedure is more invasive and has a long duration of intraoperative wound exposure, causing an increased risk of infection, and the aesthetic is not good.
Objective Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) can promote wound heal ing. To observe the effect of PRP injection on the early heal ing of rat’s Achilles tendon rupture so as to provide the experimental basis for cl inical practice. Methods Forty-six Sprague Dawley rats were included in this experiment, female or male and weighing 190-240 g. PRP and platelet-poor plasma (PPP) were prepared from the heart arterial blood of 10 rats; other 36 rats were made the models of Achilles tendon rupture, and were randomly divided into 3 groups (control group, PPP group, and PRP group), 12 rats for each group. In PPP and PRP groups, PPP and PRP of 100 μL were injected around the tendons once a week, respectively; in the control group, nothing was injected. The tendon tissue sample was harvested at 1, 2, 3, and 4 weeks after operation for morphology, histology, and immunohistochemistry observations. The content of collagen type I fibers also was measured. Specimens of each group were obtained for biomechanical test at 4 weeks. Results All the animals survived till the end of the experiment. Tendon edema gradually decreased and sliding improved with time. The tendon adhesion increased steadily from 1 week to 3 weeks postoperatively, and it was relieved at 4 weeks in 3 groups. There was no significant ifference in the grading of tendon adhesion among 3 groups at 1 week and at 4 weeks (P gt; 0.05), respectively. The inflammatory cell infiltration, angiogenesis, and collagen fibers were more in PRP group than in PPP group and control group at 1 week; with time, inflammatory cell infiltration and angiogenesis gradually decreased. Positive staining of collagen type I fibers was observed at 1-4 weeks postoperatively in 3 groups. The positive density of collagen type I fibers in group PRP was significantly higher than that in control group and PPP group at 1, 2, and 3 weeks (P lt; 0.05), but no significant difference was found among 3 groups at 4 weeks (P gt; 0.05). The biomechanical tests showed that there was no significant difference in the maximal gl iding excursion among 3 groups at 4 weeks postoperatively (P gt; 0.05); the elasticity modulus and the ultimate tensile strength of PRP group were significantly higher than those of control group and PPP group at 4 weeks (P lt; 0.05). Conclusion PRP injection can improve the healing of Achilles tendon in early repair of rat’s Achilles tendon rupture.
Objective To explore the difference in effectiveness between a dynamic rehabilitation protocol and a traditional static rehabilitation protocol after the treatment of acute Achilles tendon rupture with channel assisted minimally invasive repair (CAMIR) technique through a prospective comparative trial, aiming to provide a reference for clinically selecting a feasible treatment regimen. Methods Patients with acute Achilles tendon rupture admitted between June 2021 and June 2022 were included in the study, with 60 patients meeting the selection criteria. They were randomly divided into a dynamic rehabilitation group (n=30) and a static rehabilitation group (n=30) using a computer-generated random number method. There was no significant difference in baseline data such as gender, age, body mass index, smoking history, injured side, cause of injury, and disease duration between the two groups (P>0.05). After Achilles tendon anastomosis by using CAMIR technique, the dynamic rehabilitation group implemented early partial weight-bearing training with the assistance of an Achilles heel boot and controlled ankle joint exercises for 6 weeks, while the static rehabilitation group maintained a non-weight-bearing status during this period. Complications in both groups were recorded. At 3 and 6 months after operation, the Achilles tendon total rupture score (ATRS) was used to evaluate the degree of functional limitation of the Achilles tendon in the affected limb, and the 12-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12 scale) was used to assess the patients’ quality of life, including physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) scores. Results No sural nerve injury occurred during operation in both groups. All patients were followed up 12-18 months (mean, 14 months). The dynamic rehabilitation group had significantly higher ATRS scores at 3 and 6 months after operation compared to the static rehabilitation group (P<0.05). At 3 months after operation, the dynamic rehabilitation group had significantly lower PCS, MCS, and SF-12 total scores compared to the static rehabilitation group (P<0.05). At 6 months, all quality of life scores in the two groups were similar (P>0.05). Two cases (6.6%) in the dynamic rehabilitation group and 5 cases (16.7%) in the static rehabilitation group developed complications, with no significant difference in incidence of complications (P>0.05). Conclusion For acute Achilles tendon rupture, the dynamic rehabilitation protocol after Achilles tendon anastomosis by using CAMIR technique can improve early functional recovery and maintains comparable safety and effectiveness compared to static rehabilitation.