Achilles tendon rupture and our experience with the Achillon device.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Open repair of the Achilles tendon is still the gold standard for treating rupture. This technique has the disadvantages of a long and problematic operative scar and thickly scarred Achilles tendon. To improve the surgical outcome minimally invasive techniques have been developed. OBJECTIVES: To analyze our results of Achilles tendon repair using the Achillon device and compare them with published studies. METHODS: We performed surgical repair of the Achilles tendon in 28 patients during a 4 year period (2004-2008): 14 patients were treated with the Achillon device, 12 with the open suture technique and 2 with the percutaneous method. Fourteen patients were available for follow-up: 9 patients with the Achillon device, 3 patients with open suturing and 2 patients with the percutaneous technique. Follow-up ranged from 1 to 4 years. RESULTS: The average score of the AOFAS Ankle-Hindfoot Scale for the group treated with the Achillon device was 95.6 points (range 84-100) and for the group treated with the open method, 90 points (range 84-98). The length of the scar in patients operated with a minimally invasive technique was 3.81 cm (range 1-6 cm) as compared to 9.16 cm (range 8-10.5 cm) with the open suture. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first review on this procedure in Israel. Excellent functional results were achieved with this technique. Our outcomes were similar to those of two other studies.