Allograft Reconstruction of Irreparable Peroneal Tendon Tears: A Preliminary Report

Background Peroneal tendon injuries represent a significant but underappreciated source of lateral ankle pain. Partial thickness tears of the peroneus brevis amenable to direct repair techniques are common. Irreparable tears are uncommon and require more complex surgical decision-making. Intercalary segment allograft reconstruction has been previously described as a treatment option; however, there are no reports of the outcomes of this technique in the literature. We present our results utilizing this technique. Materials and methods A retrospective chart review was conducted to identify all patients who underwent intercalary allograft reconstruction of the peroneus brevis. Mechanism of injury, concomitant operative procedures, pertinent radiographic findings, pre- and postoperative physical examination, intercalary graft length, medical history, visual analog scores (VAS) for pain, short form-12 (SF-12) physical health survey, lower extremity functional scores (LEFS), and complications were reviewed. Results Eight patients with eight peroneus brevis tendon ruptures requiring reconstruction were indentified. Mean follow-up was 15 months (range, 10-31). The average length of the intercalary segment reconstructed was 12 cm ± 3.9 (range, 8-20). The average postoperative VAS decreased to 1.0 ± 1.6 from 4.0 ± 2.2 (p = 0.01). No patient had a higher postoperative pain score than preoperative pain score. Average postoperative eversion strength improved from 3.5 ± 1.2 to 4.81 ± 0.37 (p = 0.03). The average SF-12 survey improved from 41.1 ± 12.3 to 50.2 ± 9.31 (p = 0.06). The average LEFS improved from 53.3 ± 17.0 to 95.25 ± 10.0 (p = 0.02). Four patients experienced sensory numbness in the sural nerve distribution, and two of these were transient. There were no postoperative wound healing complications, infections, tendon reruptures or reoperations. No allograft associated complications were encountered. All patients returned to their preoperative activity levels. Conclusion Allograft reconstruction of the peroneus brevis can improve strength, decrease pain, and yield satisfactory patientreported outcomes. Importantly, this can be successfully performed without incurring the deleterious effects associated with tendon transfer procedures. Our results suggest that allograft reconstruction may be a safe and reasonable alternative in the treatment of irreparable peroneal tendon ruptures. Level of evidence Therapeutic level IV. Mook WR, Nunley JA. Allograft Reconstruction of Irreparable Peroneal Tendon Tears: A Preliminary Report. The Duke Orthop J 2013;3(1):1-7. I