Clinical Outcomes of Peroneal Tendon Tears: A Systematic Review

The purpose of this study was to provide an overview of the available evidence on peroneal tendon tears and the outcomes after surgical intervention. A systematic review of the literature was performed using MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane. Criteria for inclusion were clinical studies reporting outcomes after treatment for peroneal tendon tear within the last 10 years. Nine studies evaluating 336 patients (146 males/190 females) and 336 ankles were included in this review. The mean age of included patients was 46.3 years (range, 46-56.9 years). The weighted mean follow-up was 23.82 months (range 9.2-78 months. Five surgical interventions were reported: primary repair with tenodesis, primary repair without tenodesis, FDL tendon transfer, FHL tendon transfer, and allograft reconstruction. Four studies recorded the AOFAS score, with a weighted mean preoperative score of 69.58 and a weighted mean postoperative score of 88.82. Six studies measured the VAS score showing an improvement from a mean weighted preoperative score of 4.68 to a mean weighted postoperative score of 1.2. FAAM score was measured in 3 studies, which showed an improvement from 41.1 preoperatively to 84.4 postoperatively. The average overall complication rate was 38.7% (130/336) with the most commonly reported minor complication being ankle pain, which made up 46.2% of all minor complications (56/121). Primary repair without tenodesis was associated with a higher complication rate compared to any other surgical intervention (p=.001176). The current systematic review showed that overall clinical outcomes were positive in lieu of the different modalities of surgical intervention for peroneal tendon tears.