Biological repair of ligaments for acromioclavicular dislocation / 中华骨科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective An innovation of operative procedure with biological repair of ligaments for the treatment of acromioclavicular dislocation. Methods Based on the anatomy, physiology, and biomechanics, the operation was designed for restoring the stability of a completely dislocated acromioclavicular joint. Through bone holes drilled along the direction of coracoclavicular ligament fibers, the synthetic absorbable suture was used to rebuild the coracoclavicular ligament for vertical stability of the joint, and then a double loop suture was performed to rebuild acromioclavicular ligament and the capsule for horizontal stability. This biomechanical repair was simple, rapid procedure, and of less tissue trauma. The acromioclavicular joint was steadily fixed without any metallic imbedding, nor interference with joint surface. Results With 1－ 2.5 years follow up, 11 patients recovered with good healing, normal range of shoulder joint motion, and stable fixation. There was no need for secondary procedure to remove the sutures. The curative results of all patients were A degree based on the Karlsson s evaluation. There was no any complication. Conclusion The synthetic absorbable suture could be used with satisfaction for the repair of acromioclavicular dislocation. Compared with routine fixation with metallic material, the new kind of biofixation was not only effective, but also avoided the need of a second procedure for suture removal.