Acromioclavicular joint dislocations are common injuries in active individuals. Most of these injuries may be treated nonoperatively.
However, many techniques have been described when surgical management is warranted. A recent biomechanical study favors anatomic
reconstruction of the conoid and trapezoid ligaments and the acromioclavicular joint capsule, as opposed to the traditional
technique of excision of the lateral end of clavicle and transfer of the coracoacromial ligament to the intramedullary canal
of the distal clavicle. We present a modification of the anatomic fixation technique using a luggage tag method, which places
a graft under the base of the coracoid. This procedure has been associated with few redisplacements of the distal clavicle,
reliable pain relief, and minimal postoperative morbidity. We found the luggage tag technique provides anatomic fixation of
the distal clavicle and restoration of coronal and sagittal plane stability to the injured acromioclavicular joint. This procedure
should reduce the possibility of coracoid fracture and decreases the risk of hardware complications associated with reconstruction
techniques that violate the base of the coracoid process.
Level of Evidence: Level IV, therapeutic study. See Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Each author certifies that he or she has no commercial associations (eg, consultancies, stock ownership, equity interest,
patent/licensing arrangements, etc) that might pose a conflict of interest in connection with the submitted article.
Each author certifies that his or her institution has approved the human protocol for this investigation and that all investigations
were conducted in conformity with ethical principles of research.
This work was performed at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Surgical procedures were performed at The University
of Pennsylvania and USC Medical Center.