The Clinical and Radiological Effectiveness of Nylon tapes with or without temporary K-wires for Complete Acromioclavicular Joint Dislocation.

Abstract: Background: The acromioclavicular (AC) joint, a critical link between the shoulder and the body, is prone to dislocations, especially in athletes and manual workers. Treatment ranges from milder cases being treated conservatively, to severe dislocations (types IV and V) need surgery. Methods: Retrospective, single-centre case series included 36 patients with acute isolated traumatic AC joint injuries. Surgical intervention was performed as nylon tapes with or without k-wires were employed for anatomical fixation. Patients were assessed via clinical objective, subjective scores and radiological measurements including stress tension loading test (posterior and superior displacement, coracoclavicular distance) at baseline, 6, 12 months, and final follow-up (median 23.9 months. Results: The median posterior displacement ranged from 4.9 mm (0–7.55) to 1 mm (0–1.85) in the nylon tape group (p < 0.001), whereas in the nylon tape with k wires group, it decreased from 10.2 mm (5.5–16) to 2.2 mm (1.5–2.5) (p < 0.001). Moreover, superior displacement decreased from a median of 13.9 mm (12.55–18.75) to 2.7 mm (1.4–3.33) in the nylon tape group (p < 0.001), whereas in the nylon tape with k wires group, it decreased from 14 mm (4.5–20.6) to 0.5 mm (0.4–3.6) (p = 0.001). Minimal complications were noted Conclusion: We found that nylon tape, with or without temporary K-wires, is clinically and radiologically effective in acromioclavicular joint reconstruction. This reproducible technique is cost-effective and suitable for various surgical setups.