Treatment of Achilles Tendon Rupture with Absorbable Suture

Chan Kang; Deuk-Soo Hwang; Jung-Mo Hwang; Jae-Hwang Song; Byung-Kon Shin; Jong-Hwa Park

doi:10.14193/jkfas.2014.18.3.115

Journal List > J Korean Foot Ankle Soc > v.18(3) > 1043301

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Kang, Hwang, Hwang, Song, Shin, and Park: Treatment of Achilles Tendon Rupture with Absorbable Suture

Original Article

J Korean Foot Ankle Soc 2014;18(3):115-118.

Published online: 19 September 2014

DOI: https://doi.org/10.14193/jkfas.2014.18.3.115

Treatment of Achilles Tendon Rupture with Absorbable Suture

Chan Kang, Deuk-Soo Hwang, Jung-Mo Hwang, Jae-Hwang Song, Byung-Kon Shin, Jong-Hwa Park

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Chungnam National University School of Medicine, Daejeon, Korea

Corresponding Author: Chan Kang Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Chungnam National University Hospital, 282 Munhwa-ro, Jung-gu, Daejeon 301-721, Korea Tel: 82-42-280-8381, Fax: 82-42-252-7098, E-mail: faschan@daum.net

Received 28 April 201412 August 2014 Accepted 12 August 2014

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Purpose:

The purpose of this study is to report on the result of repairing Achilles tendon using absorbable suture under nerve block.

Materials and Methods:

We retrospectively reviewed 20 patients with acute Achilles tendon rupture who were followed up for at least six months after the operation. We repaired Achilles tendon using two absorbable sutures using the Krackow technique for the proximal stump and the Kessler technique for the distal stump. A programmed postoperative management including non-weight bearing with a short leg cast for four weeks after the operation was applied for all patients. We evaluated clinical results using American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot score, visual analogue scale (VAS) for satisfaction, range of motion of ankle, functional recovery rate, and the starting time of single heel raise.

Results:

The mean VAS score for satisfaction and AOFAS score was 9.2 and 93.0, respectively. The affected ankle showed a mean dorsiflexion rate of 90% and plantar-flexion rate of 94% compared to the uninjured side. The single heel raise could start at a mean of 3.5 months after the operation.

Conclusion:

Treatment of Achilles tendon rupture with absorbable suture material using the hybrid suture technique of proximal Krackow and distal Kessler showed sufficient stability and minimal chronic inflammatory reaction.

Keywords: Achilles tendon, Hybrid suture technique, Absorbable suture material

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Figure 1.

This illustration shows the hybrid suture technique of proximal Krackow and distal Kessler method.

Figure 2.

Mean length of the incision for Achilles tendon repair was 5.7 cm.

Table 1.

Patients’ Demographics and Clinical Data

Case no.	Sex	Age (yr)	Ankle ROM (^o) (DF/PF)	VAS for satisfaction	Single heel raising after repair (mo)	Jogging after repair (mo)	AOFAS score
1	M	36	20/45	10	3	6	100
2	M	42	10/35	9	3	6	90
3	F	48	15/40	8	6	12	85
4	M	39	18/40	9	5	7	98
5	M	47	18/40	7	5	6	88
6	M	44	20/50	9	4	9	85
7	M	52	15/40	10	3	6	100
8	M	39	15/50	9	4	4	85
9	M	38	22/50	10	3	4	98
10	M	30	12/40	9	2.5	4	95
11	M	40	15/50	9	3	6	98
12	F	39	20/45	10	3	7	90
13	M	46	15/45	10	3	5	98
14	M	37	15/50	10	3	5	100
15	M	32	25/40	10	3	6	85
16	M	41	15/50	8	4	5	90
17	F	41	15/50	9	3	8	100
18	M	28	15/42	8	5	7	88
19	M	44	20/40	9	3	4	98
20	F	42	15/45	10	3	5	88

M: male, F: female, ROM: range of motion, DF: dorsiflexion, PF: plantarflexion, VAS: visual analogue scale, AOFAS: American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society.

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