Clinical study on a novel minimally invasive Achilles tendon suture instrument for treating fresh closed Achilles tendon rupture / 中国修复重建外科杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To assess the effectiveness of a novel minimally invasive Achilles tendon suture instrument in the treatment of fresh closed Achilles tendon rupture.@*METHODS@#A retrospective study was conducted on 150 patients who underwent surgical intervention for fresh closed Achilles tendon rupture. Eighty patients were treated with the novel minimally invasive Achilles tendon suture instrument (minimally invasive group) and 70 patients with traditional open surgery (traditional group). The two groups were comparable in terms of gender, age, injured side, cause of injury, the interval between injury and operation, and the distance from the fracture end to the calcaneal tuberosity ( P>0.05). The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, incision length, hospital stays, hospitalization expenses, and complications were recorded and compared. At 1 year after operation, the ankle joint function was evaluated by the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot score.@*RESULTS@#The minimally invasive group demonstrated significantly shorter operation time, smaller incision length, and lower intraoperative blood loss when compared with the traditional group ( P<0.05). However, there was no significant difference in terms of hospital stays and hospitalization expenses between the two groups ( P>0.05). All patients were followed up 12-24 months after operation (mean, 15.5 months). In the traditional group, 6 cases of incision necrosis and 7 cases of Achilles tendon adhesion occurred, while in the minimally invasive group, all incisions healed at first intention and no Achilles tendon adhesion occurred. The differences in the incidences of the two complications between the two groups were significant ( P<0.05). At 1 year after operation, the AOFAS ankle-hindfoot score in the minimally invasive group was superior to that of the traditional group ( P<0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#In comparison with traditional open surgery, the use of self-designed novel minimally invasive Achilles tendon suture instrument proves to be an ideal technique for treating fresh closed Achilles tendon ruptures. This approach offers the benefits of smaller incisions, fewer complications, and better postoperative functional recovery, without increasing hospital costs.

Introducing a Novel Method of Patella Tendon Defunctioning using Suture Anchors after a Tibial Tuberosity Avulsion Repair: Report of Three Cases

@#Tibial tuberosity avulsion injuries are rare and result from direct trauma to the tibial tuberosity or forceful and repetitive contraction of the quadriceps muscles. In this case series, we describe a novel method of defunctioning the patella tendon using a suture anchor after a tibial tuberosity avulsion fracture repair was performed. We present three consecutive patients with tibial tuberosity avulsion fractures who were treated by the same surgeon using the technique described. Pre and post-operative range of motion of the knee joint were then reviewed retrospectively. All patients achieved preinjury range of motion within three months post-operatively. In conclusion, defunctioning the patellar tendon with a suture anchor is a reliable and reproducible technique. The new technique yielded excellent functional outcomes which allowed patients to regain their pre-injury range of motion and the strength of the construct allows early range of motion.

Comparison of pressing tendon suture with a lateral anchor and knotted suture in treatment of severe rotator cuff tear under shoulder arthroscopy / 中华创伤骨科杂志

Objective:To compare the clinical efficacy between the pressing tendon suture with a lateral anchor and the knotted suture with a lateral anchor in the treatment of severe rotator cuff tear under shoulder arthroscopy.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted of the 42 patients who had been treated at Department of Orthopedic Sports Medicine, Affiliated Hospital to Qingdao University from December 2018 to December 2019 for severe rotator cuff tear. They were 13 males and 29 females, with an age of (58.3±10.1) years (from 32 to 74 years). The injury was on the right side in 26 cases and on the left side in 16 cases. Of them, 22 received pressing tendon suture with a lateral anchor under shoulder arthroscopy and 20 knotted suture with a lateral anchor under shoulder arthroscopy. The flexion, abduction and external rotation of the shoulder, Visual Analog Scale (VAS) pain score, University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) score, Constant-Murley shoulder score, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score and imaging MRI Sugaya grading were compared between the 2 groups 12 months after operation.Results:There was no significant difference in the preoperative general data between the 2 groups, showing comparability between them ( P>0.05). At 12 months after operation, the pressing tendon suture group had better abduction and flexion of the shoulder, a lower VAS pain score and a higher ASES score than the knotted suture group, but the differences were insignificant ( P>0.05). At 12 months after operation, the pressing tendon suture group achieved significantly better external rotation (39.2°±11.7°) and significantly higher UCLA score (28.1±4.7) and Constant-Murley shoulder score (77.0±9.3) than the knotted suture group (29.8°±14.6°, 22.1±5.7 and 66.4±11.0) ( P<0.05). At 12 months after operation, the imaging MRI Sugaya grading was significantly lower for the pressing tendon suture group than that for the knotted suture group ( P<0.05). Conclusion:In the treatment of patients with severe rotator cuff tear under shoulder arthroscopy, the pressing tendon suture with a lateral anchor may lead to better clinical prognosis than the knotted suture with a lateral anchor.

Local treatment with ascorbic acid accelerates recovery of post-sutured Achilles tendon in male Wistar rats

Tendon rupture is a very frequent accident involving average people and high-performance athletes. Clinical studies describe tendon recovery as a painful and slow process involving different biochemical and histological events. Ascorbic acid (AA) is a potent antioxidant as well as an important cofactor for collagen synthesis. In the current study, we evaluated if local treatment with AA is able to promote tendon repair in tenotomized rats. Animals were submitted to Achilles tendon rupture followed by surgical suture. Control and AA groups received in loco injection of saline solution (0.9% NaCl) and 30 mM AA, respectively. Histological and functional recovery of Achilles tendon tissue was evaluated at 7, 14, and 21 days post-surgery. Hematoxylin/eosin staining and collagen fluorescence analysis showed intense disarrangement of tendon tissue in the saline group. Tenotomized animals also showed hypercellularity in tendon tissue compared with non-tenotomized animals. The Achilles functional index (AFI) showed a significant decrease of tendon functionality in tenotomized animals at 7, 14, and 21 days post-surgery. AA accelerated tissue organization and the recovery of function of the Achilles tendons. The beneficial effect of AA treatment was also observed in the organization of the collagen network. Data presented in the current work showed that in loco treatment with AA accelerated the recovery of injured Achilles tendon post-surgery.