Achilles tendon ruptures operated with percutaneous technique: Surgical results and post-operative complications

Abstract

Introduction Achilles tendon ruptures have increased considerably in recent years. The treatment of these injuries can be either conservative or surgical. Despite extensive literature, no gold standard has been probed. Surgical options include open surgery, mini-open and percutaneous technique. The objective of this work is to characterize the clinical presentation and show surgical results and complications in patients with ruptured Achilles tendon treated surgically with percutaneous technique. Materials and methods A retrospective descriptive study was carried out. Adult patients treated at the University Clinic of Puerto Montt were included and clinical and epidemiological data were obtained. All patients were operated with percutaneous technique using the Dresden Instrument. Results 60 patients enrolled. All presented pain, associated with Thompson's sign and palpable gap in 92%. Complementary images were requested in 7 patients (12%). The average time until surgery was 4.28 days. 7 patients presented minor post-operative complications. No mayor complications were observed. Discussion Achilles tendon ruptures are increasing due to older active population and weekend athletes. The diagnosis is mostly clinical, however, some patients may require complementary images for diagnosis. Strong evidence in the literature suggests that surgical treatment is superior to the classic conservative treatment. In comparison with open surgery, the percutaneous technique has shown better aesthetic results and fewer complications.

Keywords

• Tendón de Aquiles
• técnica percutánea
• complicaciones quirúrgicas. Achilles tendon
• percutaneous technique
• surgical complications.