Arthroscopic Resection of the Acromioclavicular Joint

Rhee, Yong Girl; Kim, Young Kyu; Chun, Young Soo

Abstract

Acromioclavicular joint pain is a common cause of shoulder-related symptoms. Frequently, nonoperative treatment regimens resolve symptoms originating from acromioclavicular joint. However, patients refractory to conservative therapy require operative intervention and the resection of distal end of the clavicle has proven to be a reliable method in these patients. We performed fourteen cases of arthroscopic distal clavicle resection for acromioclavicular joint lesions between February 1995 and February 1997 and reviewed the efficacy of the arthroscopic distal clavicle resection, retrospectively. Causes of acromioclavicular joint pathology were 7 cases of degenerative osteoarthritis, 6 traumatic osteoarthritis and 1 partial instability. Average patient age was 50 years (range 19 to 70 years). Preoperatively all patients had pain, whereas 57% had acromioclavicular tenderness and 86% positive adduction test. The operations were performed with subacromial bursal approach. The average length of distal clavicle resection was 10mm (range 5 to 18mm). At an average follow-up of 18 months (range 8 to 30 months), the ASES score ranked 6 shoulders in excellent (43%), 6 good (43%), 1 fair (7%), and 1 poor (7%). Thus, the overall results suggest that arthroscopic acromioclavicular resection is one of the effective methods for the treatment of acromioclavicular joint pathology.