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Rupture of the Distal Biceps Tendon

A Report of 19 Patients Treated With Anatomic Reinsertion, and a Meta-Analysis of 147 Cases Found in the Literature

Jussi Rantanen, MD, PhD^*, and Sakari Orava, MD, PhD

^* Department of Surgery, Turku University Hospital, and
Tohtoritalo 41400 Hospital, Turku, Finlandm

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Jussi Rantanen, MD, PhD, Department of Surgery, Turku University Hospital, Kiinamyllynkatu 2-6, FIN-20520 Turku, Finland

We present a series of 19 avulsions of the distal tendon of the biceps brachii muscle after a follow-up of 2 to 11 years. Ten patients with delayed diagnosis and treatment (3 weeks to 5 months) were compared with nine patients treated early (within 8 days after injury). Excellent or good results at follow-up were obtained in 9 of 10 patients in the delayed-treatment group and in all 9 patients in the early-treatment group. Nine of 10 patients in the delayed-treatment group and all patients in the early-treatment group had been able to return to their preinjury levels of activity. For reference, a meta-analysis of 147 cases reported previously was performed. Ninety percent of the patients treated with an anatomic reinsertion had excellent or good results after an average follow-up of 3 years, while similar results after 3 years were seen in 60% of the patients who had nonanatomic tendon reinsertion and in 14% of the patients who were treated nonoperatively. The delay of up to 3 years between injury and anatomic reinsertion had not compromised the result. From these data we concluded that anatomic reinsertion of the avulsed distal biceps tendon to the radius is the preferred treatment in acute as well as chronic injuries.

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