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Surgical techniques for management of acromioclavicular joint separations: review and update for radiologists

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Abstract

Imaging plays a central role in the postoperative management of acromioclavicular (AC) joint separations. There are more than 150 described techniques for the surgical management of AC joint injuries. These procedures can be categorized as varying combinations of the following basic techniques: a) soft-tissue repair, b) trans-articular AC joint fixation, c) coracoclavicular (CC) fixation, d) non-anatomic reconstruction of the CC ligaments, e) anatomic reconstruction of the CC ligaments, f) distal clavicle resection, and g) dynamic muscle transfer. The goals of this article are to describe the basic techniques for the surgical management of AC joint separations with an emphasis on technique-specific complications and postoperative imaging assessment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Kimia Khalatbari Kani

  2. Yale School of Medicine, Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, New Haven, CT, 06520-8042, USA

    Jack A. Porrino

  3. Department of Radiology, University of Washington, 4245 Roosevelt Way NE, Box 354755, Seattle, WA, 98105, USA

    Hyojeong Mulcahy & Felix S. Chew

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  1. Kimia Khalatbari Kani
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Kani, K.K., Porrino, J.A., Mulcahy, H. et al. Surgical techniques for management of acromioclavicular joint separations: review and update for radiologists. Skeletal Radiol 49, 1195–1206 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00256-020-03417-9

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