title: The strength of percutaneous methods of repair of the Achilles tendon: a biomechanical study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A study on 36 cadaveric Achilles tendons was undertaken to compare different Achilles tendon repairs.
  
  
  METHODS
  The strength of the repair and the gapping resistance were tested under different standardized experimental conditions. Each matched pair of cadaveric Achilles tendons was randomly repaired in the original Ma-Griffith configuration and in the new modified configuration and loaded to failure. Using a special equipment, the force displacement curve was measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Under different experimental conditions, the new modified technique presented in the paper provided significantly greater tensile strength and gapping resistance than the original Ma-Griffith repair configuration.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this study may be clinically relevant in terms of choice of the percutaneous method used for the repair of the ruptured Achilles tendon.
authors.affiliation: Department of Traumatology, Teaching Hospital Maribor, Slovenia.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cretnik
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zlajpah
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Smrkolj
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kosanović
mesh_terms: D000125:Achilles Tendon / Q000293:injuries / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D000328:Adult; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D002102:Cadaver; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004868:Equipment Failure; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011098:Polyglactin 910; D012421:Rupture; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D013536:Suture Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation; D013537:Sutures; D013718:Tensile Strength
chemical_list: D011098:Polyglactin 910