Surgical Repair and Augmentation of a Midsubstance Chronic Achilles Tendon Rupture with a Novel Biocomposite Scaffold: A Case Report

Abstract

A 31-year-old male presented with a midsubstance chronic ‘cavitation’ tear of his right Achilles tendon, significant retraction of the tendon, and infiltration of dense fibrous tissue into the gap. A 23x30mm BioBrace implant was cut in half length-wise in order to create two strips that were sutured in place to augment the strength and promote healing of the repair. Six months after surgery, the patient demonstrated markedly improved function and MRI showed near complete fill-in of the defect with new tendon-like tissue that was integrated with the underlying native tendon and BioBrace®. Repair of a chronic tear of the Achilles tendon with associated cavitation within the body of the tendon can be a true surgical challenge. Augmentation of the repair with BioBrace to increase strength and potential for tissue healing at the time of surgical repair may accelerate recovery and return to function. It may also improve the ultimate quality of the healed tendon tissue.