Short Term Clinical Outcomes of Hook Plate Compared to Continuous Loop Double Endobutton Fixations in Acute Acromioclavicular Joint Dislocation

Background: This study was conducted to evaluate the clinical outcomes of acromioclavicular joint (ACJ) fixation with hook plate (HP) and continuous loop double endobutton fixation (CLDE) in treatment of the acute acromioclavicular joint (ACJ) dislocation. Methods: In this retrospective study, 8 patients with HP and 9 patients with CLDE fixations were compared for acute ACJ dislocations. The patients were evaluated by various criteria including disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand (DASH), American shoulder and elbow surgeons standardized shoulder assessment (ASES), UCLA shoulder rating scale, shoulder constant score, simple shoulder test (SST) and CC distance. Results: The differences between the mean VAS scores for pain, DASH, ASES, UCLA shoulder rating scale, shoulder constant and SST were statistically significant in favor of the CLDE group. The mean differences of CC distance was 8.6± 0.9mm in HP while it was 11.6±1.2 mm for CLDE; the operation time was in favor of HP fixation (51±13.3 min versus 105±9.7 min) (p Conclusion: CLDE fixation had better clinical outcomes than HP fixation; however, it was a technically demanding procedure. HP maintained the CC distance better and its application was technically easy. HP needs a second surgery for removal and development of subacromial erosion and osteoarthritis of the ACJ which can be regarded as the major concerns.