Surgical treatment of Achilles tendon rupture
Currently, open surgical repair and percutaneous operation are the two most commonly used operative techniques for the repair of ruptured Achilles tendon. Open surgery is being increasingly replaced by the percutaneus technique. The objective of this study was to compare the results of the two methods, and investigate factors determining treatment. We followed up a group of 20 patients treated by percutaneous repair in 1996, and a group of 20 patients who underwent open surgery between 1991 and 1992, both at the Department of Traumatology, Ljubljana. The group treated by the percutaneous technique showed a significantly shorter time of hospitalization (p < 0.01) and a significantly faster restoration of function of the affected extremity (p < 0.05). There were no statisticaly significant differences between the groups as concerns the rate of complications and re-ruptures, time from injury to surgery, and length of immobilization.