Using a modified recycled corkscrew suture anchor to pass a suture under the coracoid base

• Published in: International journal of surgery case reports 2023, Vol.106, p.108127-108127
• Main Authors: Chuaychoosakoon, Chaiwat, Klabklay, Prapakorn, Maliwankul, Korakot
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2210-2612; 2210-2612
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijscr.2023.108127

INTRODUCTIONA common shoulder injury is a distal clavicle fracture which can be treated with various methods such as coracoclavicular (CC) stabilization, fixation with a distal clavicular locking plate, hook plate or tension band wiring. In CC stabilization, the most difficult step is passing a suture under the coracoid base because there is no standard instrument matched to the shape of the coracoid process. We propose a technique using a modified recycled corkscrew suture anchor to pass a suture under the coracoid base. CASE PRESENTATIONA 30-year-old Thai female with a left clavicle fracture was scheduled for CC stabilization. In the step of passing a suture under the coracoid base, we used a modified recycled corkscrew suture anchor to quickly and easily perform this step. CLINICAL DISCUSSIONThere are some specialized commercial tools which are designed to pass a suture under the coracoid base but all are very expensive (∼ $1400-1500 per piece). To overcome this problem, we modified a used sterilized corkscrew suture anchor to pass a suture under the coracoid base, normally done from the medial to lateral sides, recycling a device usually discarded after use.