Comparison of Conservative and Surgical Treatment of Grade III Acromio-Clavicular Dislocation

Abstract

Objectives: To compare the mean of constant score between conservative and surgical treatment in patients with Grade-III acromio-clavicular dislocation. Design: This was an RCT (randomized controlled trial). Study Settings: It was conducted at the Orthopedic Department of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital Lahore over 1 year from July 2020 to June 2021. Study Procedure: This study involved 94 both male and female patients aged between 18-60 years presenting in orthopedic emergency with Grade-III AC dislocation. These patients were assigned into two treatment groups randomly. Patients in Group-A were managed conservatively while those in Group-B were managed surgically with hook plate. Outcome variable was functional shoulder outcome which was assessed after 6 weeks of treatment using constant score. An informed written consent was gained from every patient. Results: The mean age of the patients was 29.9±9.5 years. Majority (n=44, 46.8%) of the patients were young and were aged between 18-30 years followed by 31-40 years (36.2%) and 41-50 years (17.0%). There were 89 (94.7%) male and 5 (5.3%) female patients in the study group with a male to female ratio of 17.8:1. The mean BMI of these patients was 25.2±2.2 Kg/m2. Right side was more frequently involved (54.3%) as compared to the left side (45.7%). Upon follow-up, the mean constant score was significantly higher in patients treated surgically as compared to conservative treatment (86.72±6.75 vs. 67.43±8.93; p-value<0.001). Similar substantial difference was observed through different subgroups based on patient’s age, gender, BMI and side involved. Conclusion: Surgical treatment of patients with Grade-III acromioclavicular dislocation was associated with better functional shoulder outcome as compared to conservative treatment and should be preferred in future practice if there is no contraindication to surgery. Keywords: Grade-III AC Dislocation, Conservative Treatment, Surgical Treatment, Shoulder Function