Purpose: To evaluate clinical results of arthroscopic treatment for posterior tibial tendon (PTT) lesions using a posterior approach.
Methods: Sixteen patients with PTT lesions underwent arthroscopic treatment using a posterior approach. After routine posterior arthroscopy to expose the posterior tibiotalar compartment, the posterior subtalar compartment, and the flexor hallucis longus tendon, the shaver was then moved through the flexor hallucis longus tendon to detect and treat the PTT lesion, including synovectomy, debridement, and repair of the PTT. American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society Ankle-Hindfoot (AOFAS) scale and visual analog scale (VAS) for subjective satisfaction were used to evaluate pre- and post-operative clinical results.
Results: Fifteen patients (94 %) (15 ankles) were followed for a mean of 26 ± 10 months. No patients experienced vascular or nerve complications during or after the operation. Mean AOFAS score improved from 49 ± 12 points preoperatively to 84 ± 8.5 points post-operatively (p = 0.000). Mean VAS improved from 6.2 ± 1.7 preoperatively to 2.4 ± 1.3 post-operatively (p = 0.000). There were three patients (20 %) with excellent outcomes, eight patients (53 %) with good outcomes, three patients (20 %) with fair outcomes, and one patient (7 %) with a poor outcome at follow-up.
Conclusions: A posterior arthroscopic approach can provide a safe, reliable technique for detecting and treating PTT lesions and a satisfactory surgical outcome. The technique is an alternative to PTT tendoscopy.