Reconstruction of Coracoclavicular Ligament with Endobutton and Sutures to Stabilize Acromioclavicular Joint: A Retrospective Clinical Study and Finite Element Analysis

Abstract

Acromioclavicular joint dislocation is a common sports injury disease, surgical treatment to restore the acromioclavicular joint stability, including stability and vertical stability level. However, vertical stability is often neglected. So we did a retrospective study enrolled 38 patients using Endobutton reconstruction and suture repair (Group A) with those using single Endobutton (Group B). The perioperative assessments contained coracoclavicular distance (CCD), Constant-Murley shoulder joint score, University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) shoulder joint score and the difference between bilateral CCD 12 months postoperatively. The evaluation of group A was significantly better than group B. Constant-Murley scores and UCLA shoulder scores preoperatively were significantly higher than those after operation. The postoperative CCD of the two groups was lower than that before surgery. CCD between the affected shoulder and another postoperatively was no difference in group A, but was different in group B. The difference of postoperative CCD of the two groups was different. Afterward, we evaluated the stress and deformation around the acromioclavicular joint by finite element analysis and found that the stress dispersion and displacement reduction enhanced the stability of acromioclavicular joint. Thus, reconstruction of coracoclavicular ligament with Endobutton and sutures repair can increase the stability of acromioclavicular joint.