Treatment of Insertional Achilles Tendinosis With Polyurethane Urea-Based Matrix Augmentation

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Biomaterials Science
• Regenerative Medicine

Background:

• Insertional Achilles tendinosis (IAT) often necessitates tendon repair augmentation.
• Evaluating novel biomaterials for enhanced surgical outcomes is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the efficacy of polycaprolactone-based polyurethane urea (PUUR) matrix augmentation in surgically treated IAT.
• To determine the clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction following PUUR matrix augmentation for IAT.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 18 surgically treated IAT cases augmented with a PUUR matrix.
• Evaluation of full weightbearing time, patient satisfaction, Visual Analog Scale (VAS) pain scores, strength, and ankle motion.
• Statistical analysis using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test for VAS score comparison.

Main Results:

• 14 out of 15 patients reported satisfaction with the PUUR matrix augmentation.
• Mean VAS pain scores significantly decreased from 6.19 to 0.83 postoperatively (P < .01).
• The study included 18 patients with a mean follow-up of 163.61 days.

Conclusions:

• PUUR matrix augmentation is a viable and effective treatment option for IAT.
• This augmentation technique demonstrates minimal morbidity and serves as an alternative to other augmentation methods.
• The study supports the use of PUUR matrix for improving outcomes in IAT surgery.