The American journal of sports medicine
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Traumatic acromioclavicular separation in the skeletally immature patient is frequently overdiagnosed and overtreated. Fifty-eight children, aged 5 to 16 years, who presented over a 15 year period with injuries to the distal clavicle, were reviewed retrospectively. ⋯ Long-term followups of these patients demonstrate excellent results with conservative management. "Pseudodislocation" involves a clavicular fracture of the lateral metaphysis or metaphyseal epiphyseal separation and not an acromioclavicular disruption. This pseudodislocation of the acromioclavicular joint in the skeletally immature patient must be differentiated from the adult counterpart to avoid unnecessary operative intervention.