Objective To investigate the cl inical efficacy, compl ications and necessity of removing internal fixation in treatment of fresh Tossy type III acromioclavicular joint dislocations and Neer type II distal clavicle fractures with clavicularhook plate. Methods From June 2005 to June 2008, 24 patients with fresh Tossy type III acromioclavicular joint dislocations and 20 patients with fresh Neer type II distal clavicle fractures were treated. There were 32 males and 12 females with an agerange of 18-66 years (38.5 years on average), involving 18 left shoulders and 26 right shoulders. The injury was caused bytraffic accident in 31 cases and by fall ing in 13 cases. The mean time from injury to operation was 4 days (range, 2-8 days). All patients were treated by reduction with clavicular hook plate fixation. The coracoclavicular l igaments were not sutured. The shoulder functions were evaluated according to University of Cal ifornia-Los Angeles (UCLA) score system and analysed before and after removing internal fixation. Results Wound infection occurred in 2 cases 1 week after operation and healed after symptomatic managment, the other incisions healed by first intention. One case accepted hook plate fixation again because of loosening hooking-up 1 week after operation. One case accepted hook plate removal and Kirschner wire fixation because of severe shoulder’s pain on the postoperative third day. Thirty-eight patients were followed up for 8-32 months (18 months on average), there was no plate breakage. Clavicle fractures got bony union after 3-6 months (4.2 months on average). At last followup (before plate removal), according to UCLA shoulder function score system, the results were excellent in 11 cases, good in 22 cases, and fair in 5 cases; the excellent and good rate was 86.8%. Because of shoulder’s pain, plates were removed in 20 patients 3-16 months (10 months on average) after operation. The cases were followed up 3-8 months (5 months on average) after removing plate. No dislocation and fracture occurred again. There was statistically significant difference (P lt; 0.01) in the functional scores of shoulder between before (30.55 ± 4.00) and after removing internal fixation (33.85 ± 1.95). Conclusion Clavicular hook plate fixation is an effective treatment for fresh Tossy type III acromioclavicular joint dislocations and Neer type II distal claviclefractures. Normative operating, correct plate moulding, functional rehabil itation after operation are key factors in preventingcompl ications and reaching good cl inical efficacy. For the patients with postoperative symptoms, the plate should be removed to improve the shoulder’s function.
ObjectiveTo investigate the short-term effectiveness of arthroscopic assisted double Endobutton “8” buckle fixation in the treatment of Rockwood Ⅲ type acute acromioclavicular joint dislocation.MethodsThe clinical data of 12 patients with Rockwood Ⅲ type acute acromioclavicular joint dislocation who were treated with arthroscopic assisted double Endobutton “8” buckle fixation between June 2016 and June 2019 were analyzed retrospectively. There were 8 males and 4 females, with an average age of 47.0 years (range, 36-58 years). There were 4 cases of left shoulder and 8 cases of right shoulder. The causes of injury included traffic accident injury in 7 cases and falling injury in 5 cases. The average time from injury to operation was 5.0 days (range, 3-14 days). Before operation and at last follow-up, the shoulder joint activity was recorded; the improvements of function and pain were evaluated by Constant score and visual analogue scale (VAS) score, respectively; the reduction was evaluated by measuring the coracoid spacing of the affected side on the anteroposterior X-ray film of shoulder joint.ResultsAll 12 cases were followed up 6-36 months, with an average of 20.6 months. All the incisions healed by first intention. There was no complications such as clavicle and coracoid fractures and Endobuton displacement. At last follow-up, the range of motion of the abduction improved from preoperative (77.5±4.5)° to (162.5±6.5)°, the range of motion of forward flexion improved from (84.1±5.2)° to (169.5±5.8)°, the Constant score improved from 42.5±2.3 to 92.4±2.3, the VAS score improved from 5.4±0.8 to 0.6±0.5, and the coracoid spacing reduced from (20.5±1.4) mm to (9.2±0.6) mm, all showing significant differences (P<0.05).ConclusionArthroscopic assisted double Endobutton “8” buckle fixation for the treatment of Rockwood Ⅲ type acute acromioclavicular joint dislocation is safe, less invasive, and quicker recovery. It can effectively alleviate shoulder pain, significantly improve the mobility of the shoulder joint, and achieve good short-term effectiveness.
Objective To summarize the method and effectiveness of open reduction and internal fixation in the treatment of 4 cases of bipolar clavicle dislocations. Methods Between June 2017 and June 2022, 4 patients with bipolar clavicle dislocations were admitted. There were 3 males and 1 female. The age ranged from 27 to 63 years, with an average age of 45 years. There were 2 cases of crushing injury of mine car, 1 case of traffic accident injury, and 1 case of heavy object injury. The time from injury to operation was 3-7 days, with an average of 5.0 days. The sternoclavicular joint dislocations were classified as Grade Ⅱ in 1 case and type Ⅲ in 3 cases, and anterior dislocation in 3 cases and posterior dislocation in 1 case. The acromioclavicular joint dislocations were classified as Tossy type Ⅱ in 2 cases and type Ⅲ in 2 cases. After open reduction, the sternoclavicular joint and acromioclavicular joint were fixed with lateral malleolus locking titanium plate and clavicular hook plate, respectively. ResultsAll operations were successfully completed without vascular or nerve injury. All incisions healed by first intention. All patients were followed up 12-18 months, with an average of 14 months. At last follow-up, the shoulder joint functions were rated as excellent in 3 cases and good in 1 case according to Rockwood score. During follow-up, there was no loosening of internal fixator or fracture. The internal fixators were removed in all patients at 5-7 months after operation (mean, 6 months), and no re-dislocation occurred after removal. Conclusion For bipolar clavicle dislocation, open reduction combined with lateral malleolus locking titanium plate fixation of the sternoclavicular joint and clavicle hook plate fixation of the acromioclavicular joint can achieve good effectiveness. It has the advantages of simple operation, high safety, firm fixation, and fewer complications, and the shoulder function recovers well.
Objective To compare the effectiveness of clavicular hook plate fixation in the treatment of acromioclavicular joint dislocation and distal clavicle fractures. Methods A clinical data of 90 patients, who underwent clavicular hook plate fixation between January 2014 and June 2023, was retrospectively analyzed. There were 40 patients with distal clavicle fractures (fracture group) and 50 with acromioclavicular joint dislocations (dislocation group). There was no significant difference in the baseline data of gender, age, cause of injury, side of injury, time from injury to operation, and constituent ratio of osteoporosis patients between the two groups (P>0.05). The time to remove the internal fixators and the occurrence of complications were recorded. Before removing the internal fixator and at 3 months after removing, the visual analogue scale (VAS) score was used to evaluate the degree of pain, and the mobility of the shoulder joint in forward flexion, elevation, and abduction was measured. Before removing the internal fixators, the Constant-Murley score and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) score were used to evaluate the function of the shoulder joint. X-ray films of the shoulder joint were taken during follow-up to observe the occurrence of subacromial osteolysis, acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis, and distal clavicle bone atrophy. Subgroup comparison was conducted between patients with and without subacromial osteolysis in the two groups. Results All incisions healed by first intention in both groups. All patients were followed up 1-9 years, with a median of 5 years; the difference in follow-up time between the two groups was not significant (P>0.05). During follow-up, subacromial osteolysis occurred in 74 cases, including 41 cases of typeⅠand 33 cases of type Ⅱ, distal clavicle bone atrophy in 15 cases, and acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis in 8 cases. There was no significant difference in the removal time of internal fixators, the incidence of bone atrophy, and the incidence of osteoarthritis between the two groups (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the incidence of subacromial osteolysis (P>0.05). Before removing the internal fixators, there was no significant difference in VAS score, UCLA score, and Constant-Murley score between the two groups (P>0.05), while there was a significant difference in shoulder joint range of motion in all directions (P<0.05). After removing the internal fixators, only the difference in elevation was significant (P<0.05). Within the group comparison, the VAS score and mobility of shoulder joint in abduction and elevation after removing the internal fixators were significantly superior to those before removing (P<0.05). In the fracture and dislocation groups, there was only a significant difference in plate length between the subgroup with and without subacromial osteolysis (P<0.05), while there was no significant difference in the above related indicators (P>0.05). Conclusion Clavicular hook plate is a good choice for treating acromioclavicular dislocation or distal clavicle fractures, but the incidence of subacromial osteolysis is higher, and the degree of bone resorption is more severe in fracture patients. After the removal of the internal fixator, the shoulder functions significantly improve. It is recommended to remove the internal fixator as soon as possible within the allowable range of the condition.