Following a fall on the point of the shoulder, a patient has an acromioclavicular joint injury. Radiographs show that the coracoclavicular distance is three times the measurement on the normal side, and the clavicle is displaced superiorly into the subcutaneous tissues. According to the Rockwood classification, this injury is:

• A Type II
• B Type V ✓
• C Type IV
• D Type III

Explanation

Rockwood Type V is a severe Type III pattern in which both conoid and trapezoid ligaments are ruptured and the deltotrapezial fascia is stripped off the clavicle, producing marked superior displacement. The defining radiographic feature is a coracoclavicular distance increased by 100 to 300 percent compared with the normal side. Type III shows 25 to 100 percent increase, and Type IV denotes posterior displacement of the clavicle through the trapezius rather than gross widening.

Reference: Rockwood and Green's Fractures in Adults, 9th ed.

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Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.