Short- and long-term outcomes of primary Achilles tendon repair in cats: 21 cases

To evaluate the short- and long-term outcomes of surgically repaired Achilles tendons in cats.

Twenty-one cats that underwent surgical repair of Achilles tendon injuries were retrospectively examined. Signalment, type of injury, time from injury to surgery, the surgical repair, complications, and long-term outcomes were recorded. Statistical comparisons were made between traumatic and atraumatic injuries using Student's paired t-tests.

Both traumatic and atraumatic causes of disruption were equally represented and female cats were significantly over-represented. Type I and Type IIc injuries were found in cats, but the type did not affect short- or long-term outcome. A complication rate of 33% was identified and was always attributable to the method of external coaptation. None of the cats that were augmented with a splint developed complications, however complications did occur in those with transarticular external skeletal fixators. Long-term clinical outcome found an 84% overall success rate and a 79% success rate for cats with Type IIc injuries. A significantly shorter time from injury to surgery was identified for traumatic injuries, but not for age, weight, or long-term outcome.

Surgical correction resulted in excellent functional outcome in all cases but one, and should be considered in both complete and partial disruption of the Achilles mechanism in cats. A direct comparison between surgical and conservative management of Type IIc injuries in cats should be considered to determine which method is most appropriate to manage these injuries.