Surgical treatment of type III acromioclavicular dislocation: Bosworth technique versus hook plating

In this study, it was compared the clinical results of the Bosworth technique and hook plating in acromioclavicular (AC) dislocations.

44 patients are retrospectively evaluated in this study whom diagnosed as type III AC dislocations and treated by two different surgical methods in two different clinics. The patients were 30 males and 14 females with a mean age of 44 years (range, 18-80 years). The patients were divided into 2 groups according to the applied surgical technique. Group I comprised 25 patients to whom coracoclavicular fixation was applied by using the Bosworth technique. Group II comprised 19 patients to whom acromioclavicular fixation was applied by using hook plate. All patients are evaulated by The University of California at Los Angeles Shoulder Score (UCLA) and The disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand (DASH) scoring system.

The mean follow-up period was 23 months (range, 12-42 months). A statistically significant diffference was determined between the surgical groups in respect of the modified UCLA scale (p=0.012) and Quick DASH score (p=0.008). Hook plating group had better clinical results according to Bosworth group in terms of both UCLA and DASH score. A statistically highly significant negative correlation was determined between the UCLA and DASH scores (r=0.677, p=0.000).

Although hook plating had better clinic outcomes compared to Bosworth technique, there is not seen difference between two groups in terms of the time of return to work. Treatment of the AC dislocation should perform early reconstruction for better reduction, fewer complications and higher levels of patient satisfaction.