DOUBLE SIDED TENDON TURNOVER LENGTHENING TECHNIQUE

Tendon turnovers were described by Cerovac et al as a novel cost and time effective method to treat small, non load bearing tendons defects of the hand. This paper depicts a modification of the procedure to allow it to be applied to a larger weight bearing tendon that was not amenable to a primary tenorraphy.Reconstruction of a discontinuous tendon defect under tension is a difficult task. Attempts to solve this challenging issue surgically have met with success but rely on the skill of the surgeon and the technology and equipment available. There are a variety of options ranging from lengthening to grafting and tendon transfers. We have come up with the utilisation of a novel technique for the reconstruction of a severed Tibialis Anterior (TA) tendon that was performed on a case with good post-operative results. The patient was able to resume normal activity in 12 weeks.The advantage with this technique is that one avoids additional morbidity and complications associated with grafting, transfers and two stage reconstruction while simplifying the care for such patients while still providing future opportunities for more conventional intervention.