Calf Contouring through Gastrocnemius Partial Tenotomy

ABSTRACT

A muscular calf is esthetically unappealing in Asian women. Treatment by liposuction alone has poroven to be difficult due to a small amount of fat. We established a new method of transecting half of the gastrocnemius tendon in order to improve the contour of the calf. Thirty-five patients were operated on during the past 3 years. The medial or lateral half of the gastrocnemius tendon was cut using an endoscopic-guided 3M AGEE blade through a 1cm-sized incision. The portion of the muscle above the site of the transection was elevated from the underlying soleus muscles. We checked the calf circumference and evaluated the clinical results at 6 months postoperatively. An average 10% reduction in calf circumfernce was measured, showing a significant esthetic improvement. There were no significant changes in gait analysis or in the Cybex test. There were no specific complications related to the procedure. Through our clinical experience in 35 cases, we were able to prove that tenotomy is a effective, simple and easy method without severe morbidity.