Outcomes and Material Cost Comparison of Transosseous Versus Suture Anchor Fixation of the Achilles Tendon: A Retrospective Study.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-2022
Publication Title
Journal of Foot and Ankle Surgery
Abstract
Insertional Achilles tendinopathy is a common pathology that may be resistant to conservative treatment requiring surgical intervention. Treatment often involves partial to complete detachment of the Achilles tendon, debridement, and reattachment. Although 50% of the tendon may be safely resected without significantly compromising strength, the addition of a lengthening procedure requires further reinforcement. We conducted a retrospective review of 43 procedures comparing outcomes of 16 single suture anchor procedures with 27 transosseous fixation procedures for reattachment of the Achilles. The suture anchor group utilized one of 2 different industry anchors while the transosseous group utilized sutures ranging in size from 2-0 to #2. Female patients contributed 67% of the procedures with 53% occurring on the left side. For each group the median preoperative pain score (scale 0-10) was 8 and the median of the lowest reported postoperative pain score was 0. The typical time to lowest postoperative pain was 10 weeks for the suture anchor group and 4 weeks for the transosseous group. Tourniquet time averaged 59.3 (12.9) minutes for the suture anchor group and 65.1 (16.4) for the transosseous group. There was a large difference in material costs between the suture anchor and transosseous groups which ranged from $364.51 to $448.51 and $99.80 to $104.00 respectively. With similar results on postoperative pain and adverse event rate to suture anchor fixation and lower material costs than anchor fixation, transosseous fixation remains a viable option for fixating the Achilles tendon to bone in treatment of insertional Achilles tendinopathy.
Volume
61
Issue
1
First Page
12
Last Page
16
Recommended Citation
Wolf J, Fallat L, Coffey M. Outcomes and material cost comparison of transosseous versus suture anchor fixation of the Achilles tendon: a retrospective study. J Foot Ankle Surg. 2022 Jan-Feb;61(1):12-16. doi: 10.1053/j.jfas.2021.05.012. Epub 2021 Jun 10. PMID: 34247969.
DOI
10.1053/j.jfas.2021.05.012
ISSN
1542-2224
PubMed ID
34247969
