Suspension suture augmentation for repair of coracoclavicular ligament disruptions

Surgical reconstruction of the coracoclavicular ligament is a fundamental part of management of high-grade acromioclavicular dislocations and Type II lateral third clavicular fractures. However, no single surgical procedure is fully satisfactory because of failure or complications. We present an alternative coracoclavicular stabilization technique, which avoids the use of hardware or tendon graft, that was used in 10 consecutive patients with complete coracoclavicular ligament disruptions. These patients were followed for a minimum of 14 months (average, 34.8 months; range, 14-55 months). At the final followup, functional outcome measurement instruments (University of California-Los Angeles shoulder rating system and Western Ontario Shoulder Instability Index) and radiographic analysis were adopted as the main outcome measures of shoulder function. The mean University of California-Los Angeles shoulder rating score and the mean Western Ontario Shoulder Instability Index aggregation score at 12 months after surgery were 33.8 (95% confidence interval, 32.8-34.8) and 93.4 (95% confidence interval, 88.2-98.6), respectively. The radiographic analysis revealed all patients had maintained reduction on radiographs at the final followup. These preliminary results suggest that this simple technique can achieve stable coracoclavicular reconstruction and facilitate healing of the repaired ligaments or fractures.

Level IV, therapeutic study. See the Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.