Achilles Tendon Ruptures: Comparison between the Clinical Results of Classical Versus Mini-Invasive or Percutaneous Surgical Treatment

The aim of the study is to evaluate the surgical treatment comparing the results obtained with different techniques. We revised 68 cases with acute Achilles tendon rupture who underwent surgical correction between 2004 and 2011, with a 40 month average follow-up. 34 of these were submitted to a classical open repair using the Kessler or Krakow technique, 25 to a mini-invasive technique (Achilon) and 9 to a percutaneous technique (Tenolig). We report a 29% rate of complications when using the classical technique: the major complications were one re-rupture, two surgical wound dehiscences, one infection and one sural nerve injury. In the mini-invasive/percutaneous techniques, two re-ruptures occurred (5.9% total, one in each technique) and one fistula at the needle insertion location. In regards to the percutaneous and mini-invasive techniques, the functional results and degree of satisfaction were higher, with fewer complications, reflecting a trend that has been expressed in the international literature.