Abstract
This study describes the method and results of a new way of stabilising painful unstable sternoclavicular joints using the sternocleidomastoid tendon. Painful instability of the sternoclavicular joint is a rare condition whose cause is either of spontaneous onset in young principally females with generalised joint laxity or of traumatic onset. The direction of instability can be anterior, superior or posterior. Surgical stabilisation is difficult and has principally consisted of using periosteum or subclavius and reefing the joint to the first rib with its attendant risks and variable results. We describe eight cases of painful sternoclavicular joint instability treated by using the sternocleidomastoid tendon and passing it through the medial clavicle and onto the manubrium of the sternum to stabilise the joint. This method of treatment is simpler, is reproducible and avoids the potential risks of reefing the joint to the first rib. There is no decrease in function of the sternocleidomastoid muscle from this procedure. All directions of instability can be treated using this tendon by varying the position of the bone hole. The results show comparable outcome for stability with other studies. We conclude that using the sternocleidomastoid tendon to stabilise the sternoclavicular joint is a simpler and safer method of treating these injuries and gives comparable results to the other methods of surgical stabilisation.
The abstracts were prepared by Cormac Kelly. Correspondence should be addressed to The Secretary, British Elbow and Shoulder Society, Royal College of Surgeons, 35–43 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London WC2A 3PE
