Efficacy of Baxian Xiaoyaotang Against Ankylosis of Wind-Cold-Dampness Obstruction Syndrome After Acute Achilles Tendon Rupture Surgery and Its Influences on TGF-β1， IGF-1， and EGF / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To investigate the efficacy of Baxian Xiaoyaotang （BXT） in treating ankylosis of wind-cold-dampness obstruction syndrome after acute Achilles tendon rupture surgery and its effects on transforming growth factor-<italic>β</italic>₁ （TGF-<italic>β</italic>₁）， insulin-like growth factor-1 （IGF-1）， and epidermal growth factor （EGF）. Method:According to the visiting sequence， 66 patients with fresh closed Achilles tendon rupture were included and randomly divided into a treatment group （<italic>n</italic>=33） and a control group （<italic>n</italic>=33）. Patients in both groups underwent surgical repair， followed by immobilization in long-leg brace， which was then replaced by the boot brace in the fourth week， with the plantar-flexion angle adjusted correspondingly. Six weeks later， the brace was removed for accelerated functional rehabilitation training. On this basis， patients in the treatment group were further instructed to fumigate and wash the affected Achilles tendon with BXT， twice a day， for 45 d. The Leppilahti Achilles tendon performance scores and American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society （AOFAS） ankle-hindfoot scores between the two groups were compared at the time of brace removal and the third， sixth， and twelfth months after surgery. The strength of triceps surae on the affected side was evaluated at the last follow-up visit. The serum TGF-<italic>β</italic>₁， IGF-1， and EGF levels were detected before and after treatment. The wind-cold-dampness obstruction syndrome scores， symptom scores， the changes in foot dorsiflexion angle， and the overall clinical efficacy were compared. Result:The changes in scores of patients receiving different treatment measures did not synchronize. After the removal of brace， the Leppilahti Achilles tendon performance score and AOFAS ankle-hindfoot score determined at three time points in the treatment group were higher than those in the control group （<italic>P</italic><0.05）. At the last follow-up visit， the good-to-excellent rate of muscle strength in the treatment group was 93.94% （31/33）， higher than 72.73% （24/33） in the control group （χ²=0.031，<italic>P</italic><0.05）， implying that the strength of triceps surae in the treatment group was better recovered. After treatment， the serum TGF-<italic>β</italic>₁， IGF-1， and EGF levels in both groups were increased in contrast to those before treatment （<italic>P</italic><0.05）， and these levels in the treatment group were all higher than those in the control group （<italic>P</italic><0.05）. The foot dorsiflexion angle and the wind-cold-dampness obstruction syndrome score in the treatment group were superior to those in the control group （<italic>P</italic><0.05）. The overall response rate of the treatment group was 90.91% （30/33）， higher than 75.76% （25/33） of the control group （<italic>χ</italic>²=6.981， <italic>P</italic><0.05）. No adverse reactions occurred during the treatment. Conclusion:The external fumigation and washing with BXT alleviates both the clinical symptoms and traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome， improves the joint function score， triceps surae strength， and other indicators， elevates the serum TGF-<italic>β</italic>₁， IGF-1， and EGF levels， and enhances the strength and toughness of Achilles tendon of patients with ankylosis due to wind-cold-dampness obstruction after the acute Achilles tendon rupture surgery. Its clinical efficacy is better than that of functional rehabilitation training.