Anatomic study of coracoclavicular ligaments for reconstruction of acromioclavicular joint dislocations

There has been a trend to reconstruct the coracoclavicular (CC) ligaments anatomically for management of acromioclavicular (AC) joint dislocations.

The aim of this study was to determine the location and orientation of the CC ligaments for anatomic reconstruction of the AC joint.

The subjects were a total of 40 shoulders from 20 Chinese cadavers. Two K-wires were drilled through the insertion center of the conoid and trapezoid ligaments respectively. The distance from the center of the CC ligaments to the bone landmarks of the clavicle and the oblique angle of the two K-wires was measured respectively.

The distance from the center of the trapezoid ligament to the lateral end and the anterior border of the clavicle was 21.7 ± 1.1 mm and 6.4 ± 0.5 mm, respectively. The valgus angle and retroversion angle of the trapezoid ligament was 39.3°±0.9° and 6.0°±0.6°, respectively. The distance from the center of the conoid ligament to the lateral end and the posterior border of the clavicle was 36.6 ± 0.9 mm and 5.5 ± 0.4 mm, respectively. The valgus angle and retroversion angle of the conoid ligament was 6.6°±0.7° and 11.0°±0.9°, respectively.

These findings are important for the anatomic reconstruction of the AC joint dislocations, by predicting the location and orientation of the conoid and trapezoid ligaments accurately.