Single incision technique using an interference screw for the repair of distal biceps tendon ruptures

Abstract

Various techniques throughout the years have been published on surgical repair of the distal biceps tendon foracute ruptures or for recalcitrant biceps tendinosis. The first report of a single incision technique to repair this tendon was in 1897 by S. Johnson in the New York Medical Journal. Since that time many different approaches and techniques have been developed. Interference screw fixation has been a reliable and well-tested method of tendon/ligament to bone attachment. There is a large body of literature concerning the various aspects of interference fit in the anterior cruciate ligament and proximal biceps tendon literature. Anatomic measurements, osteological analysis, and radiographic examination have provided information for the design of an interference screw that can be safely used in the proximal radius. We describe a technique using an interference screw through a single incision. We present two techniques for open tenodesis of the long head of the biceps.