Prophylactic acromion pin fixation reduces catastrophic failure in weakened acromion biomechanical model of reverse shoulder arthroplasty

Uniformly drilling holes in the area of a Levy type 2 acromion fracture can create sufficient bone volume loss that results in a biomechanically reproducible weakened acromion model. Prophylactic fixation of a weakened acromion with two 2.4 mm threaded titanium pins resulted in superior biomechanical characteristics, which helped to reduce complete, displaced fracture in the region of interest compared to the weakened acromion without pins. Future clinical studies are necessary to provide validation of the utility of this technique in vivo.