
Foot & Ankle
Reduced complication rate & similar function with minimally invasive vs. open Achilles tendon repair
J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2018 Nov 21;100(22):1969-1981. doi: 10.2106/JBJS.17.013648 randomized controlled trials were selected for this meta-analysis, which sought to compare postoperative outcome between minimally invasive percutaneous repair (MIS) and open repair in treatment of Achilles tendon ruptures. Pooled analyses which demonstrated a significant difference between methods included American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) scores, incidence of superficial infection, and incidence of adhesion development, all of which favoured MIS groups. Analyses which demonstrated no significant differences between groups included time to return to work, rate of return to pre-injury activity level, and incidences of deep infection, delayed wound healing, and sural nerve complications, among other complications. Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) scores for all analyses, apart from superficial infection rate, were "low" or "very low".
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