The paper
A technical note and prospective case series on the combined repair and reconstruction of the coracoclavicular and acromioclavicular ligaments, for acute and chronic acromioclavicular joint dislocations. Published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine in March 2025, with Freek Hollman as first author.
The anatomy and the problem
The acromioclavicular (AC) and coracoclavicular (CC) ligaments together maintain the stability of the collarbone, in both the vertical and the horizontal planes. AC joint injuries are relatively common, and typically follow a fall onto the point of the shoulder.
Previous classifications divide these injuries by which ligaments are involved and by how long ago the injury occurred: acute is generally taken as under six weeks, and chronic as over six weeks.
The technique
The technique described uses a tightrope construct, an internal brace, and allograft reinforcement. The rationale is that reconstructing both ligament groups addresses horizontal as well as vertical stability, where techniques directed at the coracoclavicular ligaments alone control vertical movement better than horizontal.
The series reports no change in clavicle stability at twelve months after surgery. The full figures, including the number of patients, are in the published paper. Individual results vary, and twelve months is relatively short follow-up for a reconstruction of this kind.
Read it
The paper is available at mdpi.com.
Related information
See our AC joint arthrosis page and our post on arthroscopic ACJ reconstruction, which describes the earlier version of this technique.