Efficacy and complications of open and minimally invasive surgery in acute Achilles tendon rupture: a prospective randomised clinical study—preliminary report

PURPOSE: Surgical treatment of an acute Achilles tendon rupture can effectively reduce the risk of re-rupture, but it increases the probability of surgical complications. We postulated that a minimally invasive surgical treatment might reduce the number of complications related to open surgery and improve the functional results. METHOD: We enrolled 47 patients with acute Achilles tendon ruptures in a prospective, randomised trial to compare clinical results and complications between a minimally invasive procedure with the Achillon® device and traditional open surgery with Krackow-type sutures. The average patient age was 46 years. The follow up time was 24 months. RESULTS: No Achilles tendon re-rupture or nerve injury occurred in treated patients. There were two cases of wound infections in the open surgery group, and one superficial wound infection occurred in the minimally invasive group. The groups were not significantly different in the amount of pain, range of ankle movements, the single heel-rise test, calf circumference, or time to return to work and sports. CONCLUSION: After a two year follow-up period, we found no significant differences in clinical outcomes between groups treated with traditional open surgery or minimally invasive surgery.