Surgical treatment of acute type V acromioclavicular injuries. A prospective study.

In a prospective study, 28 consecutive patients with an acute Type V acromioclavicular sprain were treated with a coraco-clavicular repair using a double velour Dacron graft. All patients were reviewed after a mean follow-up period of 5.1 years (range: 1 to 9 years). At follow-up, 20 patients (71.4%) showed good or excellent results, according to the Imatani evaluation system, and 8 patients (28.6%) demonstrated a fair or poor result according to the same system. Loss of reduction was encountered in 11 shoulders (40%), despite an initial anatomical reduction. No correlation was seen between the overall scores at follow-up and the degree of residual dislocation, between the overall scores and the presence of coraco-clavicular calcifications or ossifications, between the overall scores and the development of posttraumatic arthritic changes, or between the overall scores and the presence of osteolysis of the distal clavicle.