Unbound MEDLINE

Ultrasound-guided minimally invasive surgery for achilles tendon rupture: preliminary results.

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Many surgeons prefer surgical repair for Achilles tendon ruptures in an attempt to reduce the risk of rerupture. To minimize wound complications, the use of minimally invasive surgery has become more popular recently. In line with this, the use of ultrasound to guide Achilles tendon repair is reported in this study.
METHODS
From March 2005 to January 2008, 23 patients with Achilles tendon rupture were repaired by the same surgeon. The ages of the patients ranged from 19 to 67 years old, with an average of 43 years old. The repair of the Achilles tendon was achieved through a stab wound under the guidance of ultrasonography. A control group consisted of 25 patients who received traditional open Achilles tendon repair.
RESULTS
The average operation time was 52 minutes, and the average wound size was 1.1 cm. The short leg cast was removed 4 weeks after the surgery, and serial casting was used for another 3 to 4 weeks. The postoperative AOFAS ankle-hindfoot scores were 98.7 in the experimental group, 96.5 in the control group with no significant difference. The rates of local infection, stiffness of the ankle, pain of the scar and sural nerve injury were better in the experimental group than in the control group with significant difference.
CONCLUSIONS
Ultrasound-guided surgery was a good choice due to its availability and real-time soft tissue visualization. It can further minimize the size of the surgical wound. Our method has the potential to achieve reliable results.

Links

  • Publisher Full Text

    • Authors

    Wang CC, Chen PY, Wang TM, Wang CL

    Institution

    xavier-wang@yahoo.com.tw

    Source

    Foot & ankle international / American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society [and] Swiss Foot and Ankle Society 33:7 2012 Jul pg 582-90

    MeSH

    Achilles Tendon
    Adult
    Aged
    Case-Control Studies
    Casts, Surgical
    Female
    Humans
    Male
    Middle Aged
    Pain Measurement
    Postoperative Complications
    Rupture
    Surgical Procedures, Minimally Invasive
    Suture Techniques
    Ultrasonography, Interventional
    Young Adult

    Pub Type(s)

    Journal Article

    Language

    eng

    PubMed ID

    22835396