Chronic acromioclavicular separation: The medium term results of coracoclavicular ligament reconstruction using braided polyester prosthetic ligament

Abstract

In this series, we treated chronic acromioclavicular disruption with an artificial coraco-clavicular ligament made from braided polyester (The Nottingham Surgilig). The ligament has a loop at each end and is passed around the coracoid process, threaded through itself, then passed around the posterior aspect of the clavicle and finally anchored to it with a bone screw. Eleven men with an average age of 39 underwent this procedure. Three patients had previously been operated on using the Weaver-Dunn procedure which had failed. All eleven patients have been reassessed clinically and radiographically at an average of 55 months. Using the Imatani evaluation score, 10 patients achieved a good/excellent result with the mean Constant score being 92. One patient had fracture of the base of the coracoid after heavy lifting in the early postoperative period which resulted in a poor outcome. Two patients needed an additional operation. In one the lateral end of the clavicle was excised together with removal of the fixation screw, and in the other a subacromial decompression was carried out. The Nottingham Surgilig is a useful alternative for the treatment of chronic acromioclavicular separation, especially in revision reconstruction when the coracoacromial ligament is no longer available.