Surgical Site Gout 12 Years After an Achilles Tendon Repair: A Case Report.

CASE: We report a 58-year-old woman with no history of gout who subsequently developed gouty tophi around retained suture material identified 12 ½ years after repair of a ruptured Achilles tendon. The patient had intermittently developed an apparent postsurgical infection at and around the incision site. She had normal uric acid levels. CONCLUSIONS: The diagnosis of gout was not confirmed until surgical exploration was performed 12 ½ years after the initial surgery. Awareness of such a rare incidence of surgical site gout would help clinicians in their management decisions.