Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32363475›Full record

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

Achilles tendon elongation after acute rupture: is it a problem? A systematic review.

Pedro Diniz, Jácome Pacheco, Francisco Guerra-Pinto, Hélder Pereira, Frederico Castelo Ferreira, Gino Kerkhoffs

Abstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis 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 23 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
23citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
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

23 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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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.

Pedro DinizDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, Hospital de Sant'Ana, Rua de Benguela, 501, 2775-028, Parede, Portugal. pedro.diniz@scml.pt.
Jácome PachecoDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, Hospital de Sant'Ana, Rua de Benguela, 501, 2775-028, Parede, Portugal.
Francisco Guerra-PintoDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, Hospital de Sant'Ana, Rua de Benguela, 501, 2775-028, Parede, Portugal.
Hélder PereiraOrthopaedic Department, Centro Hospitalar Póvoa de Varzim, Vila do Conde, Portugal.
Frederico Castelo FerreiraDepartment of Bioengineering and iBB-Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001, Lisbon, Portugal.
Gino KerkhoffsDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeRupture of the Achilles tendon (AT) is a common injury. Strength deficits may persist over the long term, possibly owing to elongation of the tendon or inferior mechanical properties. This study aimed to provide a systematic review of the literature on the prevalence and consequences of tendon elongation in patients after acute AT rupture treatment. It was hypothesized that an elongated tendon would be associated with a worse clinical outcome.

methodsThe databases for MEDLINE, CENTRAL and Web of Science were searched. Clinical studies related to AT rupture reporting tendon elongation and clinical or functional outcomes, with a minimum follow-up of 6 months, were eligible for inclusion. Only studies testing for statistical correlations (SCs) between AT elongation and other outcomes were eligible, with the exception of biomechanical studies in which statistically significant AT elongation was found to be a generalized finding in the study group. For these studies to be eligible, the study group had to be compared with a healthy control group, or the injured limb compared with the uninjured limb, regarding biomechanical parameters.

resultsTwenty-eight papers were selected for inclusion. Mean AT elongation measured with imaging techniques ranged from 0.15 to 3.1 cm (n = 17). Ten studies investigated SCs with Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs), in which two found SCs with tendon elongation. Five studies reported strength and power evaluations and their correlation with AT elongation, with two having found SCs between decreased strength and tendon elongation. In ten studies reporting data on biomechanical tests, nine found influence of tendon elongation. In this group, four out of five studies found SCs with biomechanical parameters.

conclusionFair evidence of the influence of tendon elongation in biomechanical parameters was found. In a general population, evidence of a detrimental effect of tendon elongation on PROMs or functional strength at follow-up was not found in this review. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV.

Indexed as

Achilles TendonBiomechanical PhenomenaHumansMuscle StrengthPatient Reported Outcome MeasuresRuptureAchilles tendon ruptureFunctional outcomesPatient reported outcome measuresPrognosisTendon elongationTendon length

Identifiers

PMID32363475

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.