Percutaneous Treatment of Achilles Tendon Rupture: A Patient Report Outcome Study

Abstract

Category: Sports, Achilles Tendon Introduction/Purpose: Achilles tendon rupture is a common injury with increasing incidence in adults. While multiple studies have been conducted to determine the optimal surgery for an Achilles rupture, there is a lack of consensus around which surgical method serves as the best treatment. The predominant surgical options that are currently performed include open repair and minimally invasive or percutaneous Achilles rupture surgery (PARS), with comparative studies between open and PARS showing similar functional results. However, there is a lack of objective patient reported outcomes (PRO) for these procedures in the literature. To our knowledge, our study is the first prospective study to use validated patient reported outcomes (PROMIS®) to compare pre-operative and post- operative outcomes for the PARS surgery. Methods: Pre- and post-operative data for the PROMIS Physical Function and Pain Interference Computer Adaptive Tests (CATs) was collected for over 100 Achilles rupture patients at a major tertiary care facility and level I trauma center starting in 2014. Each of these patients were contacted at regular intervals for repeat survey evaluation at multiple post-operative time points via email or phone. Patients treated for chronic Achilles rupture as well as patients without adequate post- operative follow up of a minimum of 2 years were excluded. We conducted a preliminary analysis on a total of 21 patients with acute Achilles rupture Injury treated with PARS and 2 years post- operative PROMIS follow up. For each outcome, a Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to assess the mean difference between pre-operative and post-operative scores. The statistical analysis was conducted by statisticians who were blinded and worked independently of the orthopedics department. Results: Based on the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, there was significant mean difference between pre-op and post-op physical function scores (p=0.0009 0.05). Mean post-operative scores were at the 54th percentile for function and 44th percentile for pain. Conclusion: While our study is a preliminary investigation into the use patient-reported outcomes in determining the outcomes of PARS, we aim to expand on our findings as more patients reach 2-year post- operative status. Our preliminary findings are however consistent with the literature regarding the viability of PARS in treating acute Achilles ruptures with positive results similar to other techniques. While patients’ experience a minor loss in post-operative physical function as compared to their pre- injury status, PARS restores physical function scores to that of the mean population while restoring pain scores to baseline levels.