Operative versus nonoperative treatment of acute Achilles tendon rupture: An analysis of 12,570 patients in a large healthcare database.

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study was to compare the latest patient demographics and rerupture rates of operative versus nonoperative treatment of acute Achilles tendon rupture in the United States.

METHODS

Patients undergoing treatment of an acute Achilles tendon rupture from 2007 to 2011 were identified by cross-referencing ICD-9-CM and CPT codes through the PearlDiver Patient Record Database.

RESULTS

In total, 12,570 patients were treated for an acute Achilles tendon rupture. The ratio of operative to nonoperative treatment increased from 1.41 to 1.65. Males were more likely to undergo surgery than females. There were no significant differences in short-term rerupture rate for operative (2.1%) versus nonoperative (2.4%) treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

The proportion of patients who received operative treatment for an acute Achilles tendon rupture increased slightly during the 5 year period, suggesting that surgeons in the United States have been slower to adopt nonoperative treatment than their European counterparts.