Treatment of Anterior Sternoclavicular Joint Dislocation with Acromioclavicular Joint Hook Plate

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the safety and efficacy of using acromioclavicular joint hook plates for the treatment of anterior sternoclavicular joint dislocation. Methods Ten patients who suffered anterior sternoclavicular joint dislocation were retrospectively analyzed, and underwent acromioclavicular joint hook plate surgeries from January 2015 to May 2017. There were 7 male and 3 female patients, with a mean age of 43.6 years. According to the American Shoulder and Elbow Society (ASES) scoring system, the preoperative physical function had a mean of 83.5. Results Reduction and fixation were performed with hook plates in all 10 patients. All patients were followed up, with a mean duration of 16.9 months. There were no complications, no wound infections, and no plate or screw breakages. Movement of the shoulder girdle was improved in all patients. According to the ASES scoring system, the postoperative physical function had a mean of 94.8. Conclusion The acromioclavicular joint hook plate demonstrates safety and efficacy for the treatment of anterior sternoclavicular joint dislocation. However, there are still some deficiencies that need to be improved.

Long‐term results for traumatic sternoclavicular joint dislocation treated with a sternoclavicular joint‐specific plate

“…The hook was inserted into the dorsal osteal face of the sternal manubrium. The disadvantages of this hook plate are that it is not highly suitable for SCJ and the hook is so sharp that it risks causing the rupture of mediastinal structures 4 …”

“…Ligamentous and capsular reconstruction is relatively complex, requires more dissection and has considerable complications 3 . Open reduction and internal fixation are becoming more frequent, with excellent short‐term clinical and radiological results 4–8 . However, to our knowledge, the long‐term results of traumatic SCJD treated with internal fixation are unreported, and whether there are clinical and radiological changes after removal of the implant is unclear.…”

Balser Plate Stabilization for Traumatic Sternoclavicular Instabilities or Medial Clavicle Fractures: A Case Series and Literature Review

“…Excellent results were achieved without any cases of re-dislocation. Meanwhile, Qu et al (2019) reported the successful use of this technique to treat 10 patients with anterior sternoclavicular joint dislocation. 5 However, these previous reports did not focus on the possibility of using this plate to fix medial clavicle fractures, especially periarticular fractures within the medial one-fifth of the clavicle.…”

“…Ligaments surrounding SCJ include the rhomboid ligament, the interclavicular ligament, and the capsular ligament. The capsular ligament is the strongest ligament resisting superior displacement of the medial clavicle 1,3,5 .…”

“…This joint is incongruous and inherently unstable because the clavicular end is bulbous in shape and the clavicular notch of the sternum is curved 3, 4 . Shoulder activities can cause SCJ passive movement in three planes, including elevation in the coronal plane during shoulder abduction, flexion, and extension, and 45° of rotation around the longitudinal axis during arm elevation 5 . Most of the SCJ motion occurs between the articular disc and the clavicle 6 .…”