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Free semitendinosus graft improves pain, function after Achilles tendon rupture
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In this study, investigators from the UK found good to excellent results in 93% of patients who had Achilles tendon reconstruction with a free semitendinosus graft.
“Mini-invasive reconstruction of the Achilles tendon, with a gap lesion larger than 6 cm, using the ipsilateral free semitendinosus tendon graft provides a significant improvement of symptoms and function, although calf circumference and ankle plantarflexion strength do not recover fully,” Nicola Maffulli, MD, MS, PhD, FRCS(Orth), and colleagues wrote in the study abstract.
Maffulli and colleagues prospectively assessed the results of 28 patients using the Achilles tendon Total Rupture Score (ATRS) isometric plantarflexion strength and maximum calf circumference both preoperatively and postoperatively, according to the abstract.
At median 31.4-month follow-up, the ATRS increased from 42 points to 86 points. While maximum calf circumference and isometric plantarflexion strength in the operated leg also significantly improved after surgery, the levels were significantly lower than in the nonoperative leg, according to the abstract. The researchers reported no infections and noted all patients could return to work at preinjury levels.
Disclosure: The authors have no relevant financial disclosures.
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