Acute complete and partial distal biceps tendon ruptures: what have we learned? A review

Abstract

Acute distal biceps tendon (DBT) pathology includes bicip-itoradial bursitis, tendinosis, partial and complete tears. ■ Diagnosis of complete DBT tears is mainly clinical, whereas in partial tears medical imaging is a valuable addition to the clinical diagnosis. ■ New insights in clinical and medical imaging of partial tears may reduce time to diagnosis and may guide the treatment plan. ■ Most complete tears are best treated with primary repair using either a single-incision or double-incision approach with good clinical outcome. ■ The double-incision technique has a higher risk of heterotopic ossification, whereas a single-incision technique carries a higher risk of nerve-related complications. ■ Intramedullary fixation may be a viable solution to negate the risk of posterior interosseus nerve lesions in singleincision repairs. ■ DBT endoscopy can be used to treat low-grade partial tears and tendinosis.