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[Ultrasound follow-up after surgically managed Achilles tendon ruptures]
1Orthopädische Universitätsklinik, Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg.
Purpose:
To evaluate surgically repaired ruptures of the Achilles tendon by means of ultrasonography, employing the classification scheme of Thermann et al.
Method:
54 patients were examined by ultrasonography after an average interval of 4.4 years. A 7.5 MHz linear transducer was used with a gel approach piece to evaluate the longitudinal and transverse images of the tendon.
Results:
More than 90% of patients AHD Grade 2 or 3 tendons; in only 3 patients could the repaired tendon be designated Grade 1 or comparable to the healthy control.
Conclusion:
There was no correlation between the relatively unsatisfactory results seen on ultrasonography and the clinical results. We cannot recommend ultrasonography as the only method for assessing postoperative results following Achilles tendon repairs.