Editorial Commentary: Acute Repair of the Acromioclavicular Joint Capsule and Ligaments and Deltotrapezial Fascia Could Allow Biological Healing of High-Grade Acromioclavicular Separation—Coracoclavicular Ligament Graft Augmentation Could Be Indicated if Time to Surgery Is Greater Than 3 Weeks

Surgical management of chronic acromioclavicular joint (ACJ) dislocations is a matter of controversy. In the acute setting of high-grade acromioclavicular separation, if a surgical repair of the ACJ capsule and ligaments and deltotrapezial fascia could allow biological healing of the ligaments themselves, this could be enough to restore the functional biomechanics of the joint; unfortunately, this is not true for chronic cases. In the latter situation, a surgical technique using biological augmentation such as autograft or allograft should be preferred. Time is very important for this injury, and a chronic lesion should be considered when treatment is being performed 3 weeks after trauma. The graft should be passed around the base of the coracoid or through a tunnel at the base of the coracoid itself and then at the level of the clavicle as anatomically possible to reproduce the function of the native ligaments. However, some studies have shown that passing the graft at the base of the coracoid and wrapping it around the clavicle could also achieve satisfactory outcomes. An arthroscopic technique, when used in combination, could be great to treat the associated lesions, which have a reported percentage between 30% and 49%. Finally, to restore the biomechanics of the ACJ, however, reconstruction of the acromioclavicular superior and posterior capsules together with the deltotrapezial fascia seems to be very important.