Anatomical parameters of the coracoclavicular ligament: A study of 480 cases

Abstract

Background: Although the optimal surgical technique for treatment of acromioclavicular (AC) joint dislocation still remains controversial, reconstruction of the coracoclavicular (CC) ligament has become the current tendency, particularly the transclavicular-transcoracoid drilling technique. The study investigated the anatomical characteristic of CC ligament by obtained anatomical parameters based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), for guiding surgeons to create transosseous tunnels precisely in reconstructing CC ligament. Material/Methods : Four hundred and eighty MRI scans of left shoulders from patients (ages from 11 years to 80 years, mean age of 51 years) were analyzed for the study. Some anatomical parameters were defined and measured in images of the coronal and sagittal plane, including four angles and seven distances. All measurement results were analyzed by SPSS 20.0. Results : In the coronal plane, the distance form the midpoint of AC joint to the insertion at the clavicle of male patients was greater than the average value of female patients. In the sagittal plane, in addition to the diameter of insertion at the coracoid process, other average distance values of male patients were greater than the average values of female patients, which were significantly different (P<0.05). Conclusion : These anatomical parameters obtained from MRI could completely describe the anatomical characteristic of CC ligament, which are beneficial for the reconstruction of CC ligament to create transosseous tunnels accurately, contributing to reduce the incidence of postoperative complications and promote the operative treatment of AC joint dislocation.