Bicipital Tendon Rupture, Five Cases Report

Abstract

Five patients with the bicipital tendon rupture of the upper arm were reported by us during the past six months. Their age ranged between 39 and 72 years old. In four cases, two were fresh and two were late one, the tendon rupture occurred when they lifted up the light material. Three cases were treated operatively and the other one conservatively. The osteoarthritic changes were recognized in the shoulder joint in the two of four cases by the X-ray examination and in three cases the abnormalities were found by the arthrography.There was one who was complained of the swelling and pain of the shoulder joint without any proximate cause and was diagnosed a idiopathic rupture of the biceps tendon. This was treated operatively. In this case the osteoarthritic change was in high degree and the synovial fluid was about 30ml, yellowish and clear. The histological findings of the ruptured tendon was degenerated and infiltrated one and increasing of the synovial cell and senile elastosis of the subsynovial tissue was observed. A month after the operation he had no pain and swelling of the shoulder joint, but a limited the functional use.The end-to-end suture of the tendon in four cases were impossible and the ruptured tendon was fixed to the coracoid process.