Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30594954›Full record

ArticleKnee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA2020

No difference in strength and clinical outcome between early and late repair after Achilles tendon rupture.

Michael R Carmont, Jennifer A Zellers, Annelie Brorsson, Karin Grävare Silbernagel, Jón Karlsson, Katarina Nilsson-Helander

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
10citing papers in PubMed
1.8field-weighted citation impact, top 17% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

10 citing papers in PubMed, 25 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Trial
  2. Soleus subtendon elongation is reduced by individual suturing of Achilles subtendons after rupture.Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.

Michael R CarmontDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, Princess Royal Hospital, Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, Shropshire, UK. mcarmont@hotmail.com.
Jennifer A ZellersProgram of Physical Therapy, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA.
Annelie BrorssonDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, Sahlgrenska Academy, Gothenburg University, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Karin Grävare SilbernagelDepartment of Physical Therapy, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA.
Jón KarlssonDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, Sahlgrenska Academy, Gothenburg University, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Katarina Nilsson-HelanderDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, Sahlgrenska Academy, Gothenburg University, Gothenburg, Sweden.
University of Gothenburg · SEPrincess Royal Hospital · GBUniversity of Delaware · USWashington University in St. Louis · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeThis retrospective study aimed to determine the patient-reported and functional outcome of patients with delayed presentation, who had received no treatment until 14 days following injury of Achilles tendon rupture repaired with minimally invasive surgery and were compared with a group of sex- and age-matched patients presenting acutely. Based on the outcomes following delayed presentation reported in the literature, it was hypothesized that outcomes would be inferior for self-reported outcome, tendon elongation, heel-rise performance, ability to return to play, and complication rates than for acutely managed patients.

methodsRepair was performed through an incision large enough to permit mobilisation of the tendon ends, core suture repair consisting of a modified Bunnell suture proximally and a Kessler suture distally and circumferential running suture augmentation.

resultsNine patients presented 21.8 (14.9) days (range 14-42 days) after rupture. The rate of delayed presentation was estimated to be 1 in 10. At 12 months following repair, patients with delayed treatment had median (range) ATRS score of 90 (69-99) compared with 94 (75-100) in patients treated acutely presenting 0.66 (1.7) (0-5) days. There were no significant differences between groups: ATRA [mean (SD) delayed: - 6.9° (5.5), acute: - 6° (4.7)], heel-rise height index [delayed: 79% (20), acute: 74% (14)], or heel-rise repetition index [delayed: 77% (20), acute: 71% (20)]. In the delayed presentation group, two patients had wound infection and one iatrogenic sural nerve injury.

conclusionsPatients presenting more than 2 weeks after Achilles tendon rupture may be successfully treated with minimally invasive repair. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III.

Indexed as

Achilles TendonAdultFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedMinimally Invasive Surgical ProceduresMuscle StrengthOrthopedic ProceduresRetrospective StudiesRuptureSuture TechniquesTendon InjuriesTime FactorsTreatment Outcome

Identifiers

PMID30594954
PMCPMC7176605
OpenAlexW2907228501

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.