Minimally invasive surgery of the achilles tendon.
Minimally invasive surgical techniques for pathologies of the Achilles tendon (AT) hold the promise to decrease perioperative morbidity, allow faster recovery times, shorten hospital stays, and improve functional outcomes when compared with open procedures, which can lead to difficulty with wound healing because of the tenuous blood supply and increased chance of wound breakdown and infection. This article presents recent advances in the field of minimally invasive AT surgery for tendinopathy, acute ruptures, and chronic tears. All of the techniques described in this article are inexpensive and do not require highly specialized equipment and training. Future randomized controlled trials are required to address the issue of the comparison between open versus minimally invasive AT surgery.
Maffulli
Nicola
N
Centre for Sports and Exercise Medicine, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Mile End Hospital, 275 Bancroft Road, London E1 4DG, UK. n.maffulli@qmul.ac.uk
Longo
Umile Giuseppe
UG
Oliva
Francesco
F
Ronga
Mario
M
Denaro
Vincenzo
V
D000125:Achilles Tendon / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D019637:Orthopedic Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D052256:Tendinopathy / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome