A Modified Suture Bridge Technique for Application With Bone Anchors in Foot and Ankle Surgery

Study of the clinical and functional results of open calcaneoplasty and tendinous repair for the treatment of the insertional tendinopathy of the Achilles' tendon

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Insertional tendinopathy accounts for 23% of the pathology of the Achilles tendon. Surgery is indicated when conservative treatment of pain and functional limitation fails. Our objective is to analyse the clinical-functional results of surgical treatment with disinsertion, debridement and double row reattachment with high strength suture tape.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

We present 13 patients with insertional Achilles tendinopathy, treated between February 2015 and October 2016. In all of them we performed inverted T-tendon disinsertion, debridement and calcareoplasty followed by double row tendon re-anchorage, without knots, with high resistance suture tape. Functional results were assessed with the AOFAS scale before and after surgery, with an average follow-up of 22 months.

RESULTS

The patients, 11 males and 2 females, with an average age of 43 years, presented a preoperative AOFAS score of 34.77±10.1 that reached 90.85±7 points after the operation, with an average increase of 56.08 points (IC 95% 48.13-64.02; P<0.01). The time to return to sports activities was 19 weeks (16-22). There were no complications.

CONCLUSION

The technique we present reports excellent results as a surgical treatment of insertional Achilles tendinopathy with intralesional calcification; it allows a wide contact surface between bone and tendon and an earlier return to previous sports activity.