Clinical Outcomes and Complications Following Limited Open Achilles Repair Without an Instrumented Guide

Abstract

Background: We report the clinical outcomes and complications following our limited open incision Achilles tendon repair technique without instrument guides. Methods: A total of 33 patients were included in this study. We recorded pre- and postoperative scores on the Foot and Ankle Disability Index (FADI), visual analog scale (VAS), and the Foot and Ankle Outcome Score (FAOS). Subgroup analyses were performed for acute (<2 weeks) and subacute (2-6 weeks) Achilles tendon repairs. A P value <.05 was considered significant for all statistical analyses. Results: The median time from injury to surgery was 10.0 days (range, 1-45 days). At a median follow-up of 3.7 years (range, 1.0-9.8 years), the average pre- and postoperative outcome scores improved significantly for the following: FADI index (49.1-98.4, P < .001), VAS (4.8-0.2, P < .001), FAOS Pain (54.8-99.2, P < .001), FAOS Symptoms (84.6-97.0, P < .001), FAOS activities of daily living (61.4-97.2, P < .001), FAOS Sports and Recreational Activity (39.5-98.5, P < .001), and FAOS quality of life (39.7-88.7, P < .001). There were no significant differences between pre- and postoperative outcome scores between the acute and subacute Achilles repair groups. There were no wound complication, reruptures, or reoperations in the entire cohort. Conclusion: Patients showed improvements in postoperative patient-reported outcome scores with minimal complications. There was no significant difference in outcomes for acute vs subacute repairs. Our limited open incision Achilles tendon repair, which required no additional targeting instrumentation, had favorable midterm results. Level of Evidence: Level IV, retrospective case series.