Objective To evaluate the short-term effectiveness of the short incision and non-end-to-end suturing system in the treatment of acute closed Achilles tendon rupture. Methods Between September 2011 and September 2013, 22 patients with acute Achilles tendon rupture were treated with self-designed minimally invasive non-end-to-end suturing system. There were 16 males and 6 females, aged from 22 to 55 years (mean, 32.6 years). The left side was involved in 12 cases and the right side in 10 cases. The causes included sports injury in 16 patients, violent injury in 4 patients, and falling injury in 2 patients. MRI revealed that the distance from the ruptured site to the calcaneal tuberosity ranged from 40 to 70 mm (mean, 35 mm). The duration from injury to surgery ranged from 0.5 to 7 days (mean, 4.2 days). The incision of 4 cm in length was made at the initial point of Achilles tendon, and minimally invasive non-end-to-end suturing system was used to hold the Achilles. The ruptured tendon was sutured with two non-absorbed thread. The limb was fixed with plaster for 6 weeks. Results The incision all healed by first intention without complications of sural nerve damage and infection. All patients were followed up 8-14 months (mean, 11 months). According to the Arner-Lindholm functional score criteria, the results were excellent in 19 cases and good in 3 cases. No Achilles tendon rupture happened again during follow-up. Conclusion The small incision with non-end-to-end suturing system is an effective operation strategy for treatment of acute Achilles rupture. The patients can do function exercise at early-stage with satisfatory short-term effectiveness.

Citation： GAOWuchang, WANGYingzhen. SHORT-TERM EFEECTIVENESS OF SHORT INCISION AND NON-END-TO-END SUTURING SYSTEM FOR ACUTE CLOSED Achilles TENDON RUPTURE. Chinese Journal of Reparative and Reconstructive Surgery, 2015, 29(5): 563-566. doi: 10.7507/1002-1892.20150122 Copy