Achilles tendon rupture and our experience with the Achillon device.

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.