Flexor Hallucis Longus Tendon Transfer for Reconstruction of Chronically Ruptured Achilles Tendons

Abstract

Transfer of the FHL for reconstruction of chronically ruptured Achilles tendons is effective, safe and easily performed in patients with low-to-moderate demands.

Hypertrophy of the flexor hallucis longus muscle after tendon transfer in patients with chronic Achilles tendon rupture

“…These studies also show very low failure rates after the FHLT transfer [4][5][6][7][9][10][11][12][13].…”

“…This may play a role especially when treating patients with potential wound healing problems. In the study of Mahajan et al [11] they treated 36 elderly patients (aged 56-78) with a two incision technique due to chronic ATR. 33 of the patients were very satisfied with the results.…”

“…Several small patient series have shown good results with FHLT transfer [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]. The previous results have shown that the plantar flexion strength of the operated side cannot be fully restored, but most of the patients have been able to re-enter their previous sports interests.…”

“…The flexion force of the IP joint was manually tested and compared to the healthy side. All study subjects filled the ATRS questionnaire, which has shown good reliability, validity and sensitivity for measuring outcome after treatment in patients with a total Achilles tendon rupture [11].…”

“…Flexor hallucis longus tendon (FHLT) transfer has become a popular method for reconstructing a chronic ATR [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]. This method has many advantages.…”