Luggage Tag Technique of Anatomic Fixation of Displaced Acromioclavicular Joint Separations

Acromioclavicular joint dislocations are common injuries in active individuals. Most of these injuries may be treated nonoperatively. However, many techniques have been described when surgical management is warranted. A recent biomechanical study favors anatomic reconstruction of the conoid and trap...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Clinical orthopaedics and related research 2010-01, Vol.468 (1), p.259-265
Main Authors: Baldwin, Keith, Namdari, Surena, Andersen, Jaron R., Lee, Brian, Itamura, John M., Huffman, G. Russell
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acromioclavicular Joint - injuries
Acromioclavicular Joint - surgery
Adult
Aged
Biological and medical sciences
Biomechanical Phenomena
Conservative Orthopedics
Diseases of the osteoarticular system
Female
Humans
Joint Dislocations - surgery
Ligaments, Articular - transplantation
Male
Medical sciences
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Middle Aged
Orthopedic Procedures - methods
Orthopedics
Reconstructive Surgical Procedures - methods
Retrospective Studies
Sports Medicine
Surgery
Surgical Orthopedics
Surgical Technique
Suture Anchors
Tenodesis - instrumentation
Tenodesis - methods
Young Adult
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Acromioclavicular joint dislocations are common injuries in active individuals. Most of these injuries may be treated nonoperatively. However, many techniques have been described when surgical management is warranted. A recent biomechanical study favors anatomic reconstruction of the conoid and trapezoid ligaments and the acromioclavicular joint capsule, as opposed to the traditional technique of excision of the lateral end of clavicle and transfer of the coracoacromial ligament to the intramedullary canal of the distal clavicle. We present a modification of the anatomic fixation technique using a luggage tag method, which places a graft under the base of the coracoid. This procedure has been associated with few redisplacements of the distal clavicle, reliable pain relief, and minimal postoperative morbidity. We found the luggage tag technique provides anatomic fixation of the distal clavicle and restoration of coronal and sagittal plane stability to the injured acromioclavicular joint. This procedure should reduce the possibility of coracoid fracture and decreases the risk of hardware complications associated with reconstruction techniques that violate the base of the coracoid process. Level of Evidence: Level IV, therapeutic study. See Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
ISSN:0009-921X
1528-1132
DOI:10.1007/s11999-009-0877-8