Place of Achilles tenotomy in the treatment of severe intermittent claudication.

Achilles tenotomy was performed on 66 limbs in 60 patients with severe intermittent claudication and the results were assessed two years later. Early improvement occurred in half of them but decreased to 17% two years postoperatively. Sympathectomy did not influence the result. The postoperative morbidity was 14%, and 21% of limbs were subsequently amputated. The late mortality in the group studied was 8%.