Nonoperative or Surgical Treatment of Acute Achilles' Tendon Rupture.

BACKGROUND: Whether surgical repair of an acute Achilles' tendon rupture by an open-repair or minimally invasive approach is associated with better outcomes than nonsurgical treatment is not clear. METHODS: We performed a multicenter, randomized, controlled trial that compared nonoperative treatment, open repair, and minimally invasive surgery in adults with acute Achilles' tendon rupture who presented to four trial centers. The primary outcome was the change from baseline in the Achilles' tendon Total Rupture Score (scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating better health status) at 12 months. Secondary outcomes included the incidence of tendon rerupture. RESULTS: A total of 554 patients underwent randomization, and 526 patients were included in the final analysis. The mean changes in the Achilles' tendon Total Rupture Score were -17.0 points in the nonoperative group, -16.0 points in the open-repair group, and -14.7 points in the minimally invasive surgery group (P = 0.57). Pairwise comparisons provided no evidence of differences between the groups. The changes from baseline in physical performance and patient-reported physical function were similar in the three groups. The number of tendon reruptures was higher in the nonoperative group (6.2%) than in the open-repair or minimally invasive surgery group (0.6% in each). There were 9 nerve injuries in the minimally invasive surgery group (in 5.2% of the patients) as compared with 5 in the open-repair group (in 2.8%) and 1 in the nonoperative group (in 0.6%). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with Achilles' tendon rupture, surgery (open repair or minimally invasive surgery) was not associated with better outcomes than nonoperative treatment at 12 months. (Funded by the South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority and Akershus University Hospital; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01785264.).

Functional outcomes and health-related quality of life after reconstruction of segmental bone loss in femur and tibia using the induced membrane technique.

INTRODUCTION: The induced membrane technique (IMT), frequently called Masquelet technique, is an operative, two-staged technique for treatment of segmental bone loss. Previous studies mainly focused on radiological outcome parameters and complication rates, while functional outcomes and health-related quality of life after the IMT were sparsely reported. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective study containing of a chart review as well as a clinical and radiological follow-up examination of all patients treated with the IMT at a single institution. The clinical outcomes were evaluated using the Lower Extremity Functional Scale (LEFS), the Short-Form-36 (SF-36) and the visual analog scale (VAS) for pain. The radiographic evaluation contained of standard anteroposterior and lateral, as well as hip-knee-ankle (HKA) radiographs. RESULTS: Seventeen patients were included in the study. All had suffered high-energy trauma and sustained additional injuries. Ten bone defects were localized in the femur and seven in the tibia. Ten patients underwent additional operative procedures after IMT stage 2, among them three patients who contracted a postoperative deep infection. The median LEFS was 59 (15-80), and the SF-36 physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) were 41.3 (24.0-56.1) and 56.3 (13.5-66.2), respectively. The median length of the bone defect was 9 (3-15) cm. In 11 patients, union was obtained directly after IMT stage 2. Bone resorption was observed in two patients. At follow-up, 16 of the 17 bone defects had healed. The median follow-up was 59 months (13-177). CONCLUSION: Our results show a high occurrence of complications after IMT stage 2 in segmental bone defects of femur and tibia requiring additional operative procedures. However, fair functional outcomes as well as a good union rate were observed at follow-up.

Proximal Fifth Metatarsal Fractures: A Retrospective Study of 834 Fractures With a Minimum Follow-up of 5 Years.

BACKGROUND: Proximal fifth metatarsal fractures are common fractures. Treatment strategies have been debated. We wanted to investigate whether Lawrence and Botte's classification has prognostic value because of time to fracture union, and evaluate if weightbearing as tolerated (WBAT) and nonweightbearing (NWB) treatment strategy had effect on time to fracture union in nonoperatively treated fractures. METHODS: Computerized database search, patients diagnosed between January 1, 2003, and December 31, 2015. RESULTS: We identified 834 fractures; 510 (61.2%) zone 1, 157 (18.8%) zone 2, and 167 (20.0%) zone 3. Most (94.4%) were treated nonoperatively; time to fracture union was 7.5 (SD 7.7), 7.7 (5.6), and 9.2 (8.1) weeks for zone 1, 2, and 3, respectively, which gave a significant longer time to union for zone 3 compared to zone 1 fractures (P = .04). There was no difference in time to fracture union when comparing WBAT and NWB for all fracture zones. Failure to union, defined as crossover to surgery and/or delayed union, was found in 13 (2.7%) zone 1, 5 (3.2%) zone 2, and 6 (3.8%) zone 3 fractures. Refracture during follow-up was found in 3 (0.6%) zone 1 and 14 (8.9%) zone 3 fractures. CONCLUSION: Proximal fifth metatarsal fractures have high union rates with nonoperative treatment. No difference in time to union could be found between WBAT and NWB treatment strategies for all fracture zones. We observed a significantly longer time to fracture union for zone 3 fractures compared to zone 1 fractures. Refracture occurs in a nonnegligible share of nonoperatively treated zone 3 fractures.

Results After Percutaneous and Arthroscopically Assisted Osteosynthesis of Calcaneal Fractures.

BACKGROUND: Operative treatment of calcaneal fractures using the extensile lateral approach is associated with high rates of soft tissue complications. In the past years, there has been a trend toward less invasive surgical approaches. Percutaneous and arthroscopically assisted calcaneal osteosynthesis (PACO) combines the advantages of visualization of the posterior facet of the subtalar joint with a minimally invasive approach. METHODS: We conducted a follow-up of 25 patients with 26 calcaneal fractures (Sanders II and III), treated with PACO with a minimum follow-up of 12 months. The median age was 44 years (range, 21-72) and the follow-up period 15 months (12-33). Our clinical outcomes were the Manchester-Oxford Foot Questionnaire (MOxFQ), the Calcaneus Fracture Scoring System (CFSS), the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) Ankle-Hindfoot score, the Short-Form-36 (SF-36), the visual analog scale (VAS) for pain, and the number of complications. Radiographs on follow-up were obtained to evaluate the reduction of the fractures as well as osteoarthritis of the subtalar joint. RESULTS: The median MOxFQ score was 26.6 (0-76.6), the CFSS score 85 (26-100), and the AOFAS score 85 (50-100). The VAS pain score was 0 (0-5.7) at rest and 4.1 (0-8.2) during activity. The Böhler angle improved from a mean (SD) of 3.5 (12.3) degrees preoperatively to 27.7 (10.5) degrees postoperatively. The follow-up radiographs showed subsidence of the fractures and a Böhler angle of 20.3 (12.9) degrees. There were no wound-healing complications. Two patients had additional surgery with screw removal due to prominent hardware. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that PACO gives good clinical outcomes and a low risk of complications in selected calcaneal fractures. Prospective long-term studies will be necessary to better document the potential advantages and limitations of this operating technique. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, retrospective case series.