Acute surgical treatment of acromioclavicular dislocation type V with a hook plate: superiority to late reconstruction

Background: Outcomes for patients with acromioclavicular joint dislocation, Rockwood type V, treated with acute or delayed hook plate surgery were investigated. Materials and methods: Patients treated with a hook plate for acromioclavicular joint dislocation, Rockwood type V, were retrospectively evaluated 1 to 8 years after the injury. Of 41 patients, 37 were re-evaluated, 32 in person and 5 by telephone or letter. The acute surgery group comprised 22 patients operated on with a hook plate within 4 weeks after the injury. The delayed surgery group comprised 15 patients, with unacceptable pain or functional disability after a minimum of 4 months of conservative treatment, who were operated on with modified Weaver-Dunn procedure augmented with a hook plate. The evaluation was based on radiographs, registration of activity level, and shoulder function. Results: The median Constant Score was 91 for the acute surgery group and 85 for the delayed surgery group (P = .097). The acutely treated patients had better outcomes according to the median Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI; P = .006), shortened version of the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (QuickDASH; P = .002), and Subjective Shoulder Value (P = .032). The acutely treated patients had less pain in their injured shoulder during rest (P = .014) and during movement (P = .005). There was a significant difference in subluxation between the groups in favor of the acute group, shown by weighted radiographs (P = .011), but no significant relation between subluxation on the weighted radiographs and the shoulder function according to Constant Score at follow-up (r(s) = .122, P = .619). Conclusions: Patients treated with acute surgery had a more satisfactory outcome than those with late surgery after failed conservative treatment.