Editorial Commentary: Suture Button–Anchor Fixation Is Preferable to Hook Plate Fixation for Acute Acromioclavicular Joint Dislocations: Form and Function Need to Be United

• Published in: Arthroscopy Vol. 37; no. 5; pp. 1424 - 1426
• Main Author: Feldman, Michael D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.05.2021
• ISSN: 0749-8063; 1526-3231
• DOI: 10.1016/j.arthro.2021.01.051

Both hook plate fixation and suture button–anchor fixation have been reported to yield good results in the treatment of acute acromioclavicular joint reconstruction. In addition to a mandatory secondary procedure, hook plate fixation clearly has an increased prevalence of post-traumatic acromioclavicular arthritis in the short term that is likely to progress in the long term. Conversely, suture button–anchor fixation—a minimally invasive technique that creates less soft-tissue disruption, does not require hardware removal, and does not violate the acromioclavicular joint—is more likely to promote primary healing of the coracoclavicular ligaments, reduce the risk of late displacement, and minimize the development of post-traumatic acromioclavicular arthritis. As stated by the noted architect Frank Lloyd Wright, it is not only about form (i.e., alignment), it is about function as well.