A case of acromioclavicular dislocation without coracoclavicular ligament rupture accompanied by coracoid process fracture

Abstract

Acromioclavicular joint dislocation with intact coracoclavicular ligaments accompanied by fracture of the coracoid process is a rare injury. The patients are treated with conservative and/or surgical methods. A 30-year-old male patient developed type 3 acromioclavicular dislocation and coracoid process fracture due to a fall in the right shoulder. Both injuries were treated surgically. Following open reduction, the acromioclavicular joint was fixed with a Knowles pin, and the coracoid process was fixed with a 4.0-mm malleolar screw. Active-assisted rehabilitation of the shoulder was initiated a week after surgery. The patient returned to office work with a long arm splint at three weeks. Pain-free, active, and complete shoulder movements were seen in the fifth week. The Knowles pin in the acromioclavicular joint was removed under local anesthesia seven months postoperatively. A year after surgery, he resumed full shoulder functions without pain and there were no signs of complications such as heterotopic ossification.