Abstract:Objective To analyze the effect of anatomical locking plate on the three-dimensional morphology of the acromioclavicular joint after internal fixation for distal clavicle fractures.Methods The clinical data of 92 patients with distal clavicle fractures treated in our hospital from March 2018 to February 2021 were reviewed, of which 48 were treated with anatomical locking plate internal fixation (study group), and 44 were treated with reconstructive plate for open reduction and internal fixation (control group). The operation and fracture healing of the two groups were compared. The shoulder joint function, pain, fracture reduction quality, three-dimensional morphology of the acromioclavicular joint and the incidence of complications were analyzed between the two groups.Results Compared with the control group, the operative duration, total incision length and fracture healing time were shorter and intraoperative blood loss was lower in the study group (P < 0.05). The differences of Constant-Murley score and Neer score before and after the operation were higher in the study group than those in the control group (P < 0.05). The coracoclavicular distance, the range of motion for anteflexion and external rotation, and the subacromial space were increased in the study group relative to the control group (P < 0.05). The Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scores before the operation, and 1 month and 3 months after the operation in the two groups were compared via repeated measures analysis of variance, which revealed that the VAS scores were different at different time points (P < 0.05) and between the study group and control group (P < 0.05), and that the change trends of VAS scores were different between the two groups (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the quality of postoperative fracture reduction between the two groups (P > 0.05). The overall incidence of complications was comparable between the two groups (P > 0.05).Conclusions Compared with the reconstructive plate for open reduction and internal fixation, the anatomical locking plate has the advantages of less surgical trauma, shorter fracture healing time, better shoulder joint function recovery, less postoperative pain, and more remarkable improvement in the three-dimensional morphology of the acromioclavicular joint in treating distal clavicle fractures.