A 'safe' surgical technique for stabilisation of the sternoclavicular joint: a cadaveric and clinical study.

In symptomatic patients with recurrent anterior sternoclavicular dislocation, surgery may be required to stabilise the joint. Posterior sternoclavicular dislocations may also require open reduction and stabilisation due to the complications that may arise. We present a new, 'safe' technique of surgical stabilisation of the sternoclavicular joint that is not technically demanding and does not require exposure of the first rib, as is often the case in other methods described. The repair was tested in cadavers before being employed in three patients and was found to be effective under both static and dynamic loading. The early clinical results prove encouraging.