Acta Medica Medianae (Jan 2005)
SURGICAL PERCUTANEOUS TREATMENT OF AN ACUTE RUPTURE OF ACHILLES TENDON IN ATHLETES
Abstract
We have registered that with growing interest of the middle-aged in sport activities in our country the incidence of Achilles tendon ruptures has increased. It was usually preceded by its degenerative changes. Our aim was to examine the results of Achiles tendon rupture treatment in the group treated with our modified percutaneous technique with double - crossed suture.We compared these results with those obtained by the treatment with the nonsurgical method.Our study included 139 patients who gained injuries during their sports activities. They were active professionals or ex-active who continued training sports for recreation, and finally, amateurs who trained sports for the sake of recreation. We also analyzed differences in the results of those three groups after the treatment and checked them statistically.The results have showed superiority of this percutaneous operative treatment because of its simple operative technique, possibility of doing it in the local anaesthesia, continuous ultrasonographic following of the rupture during the process of healing up and shorter immobilisation time, practically without hospitalization and rare complications.