Tendinopathy of the Distal Biceps Tendon is a Common Incidental Finding on Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Elbow

Document Type : RESEARCH PAPER

Authors

1 Hand and Arm Center, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

2 Hand and Arm Center, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA - Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Hand Surgery, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands

3 Hand and Arm Center, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA- Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Hand Surgery, ErasmusMC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands

4 Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, OLVG, Amsterdam, the Netherlands -Department of Human Movement Sciences, Faculty of Behavioral and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam Movement Sciences, Amsterdam, the Netherlands -Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

5 Hand and Arm Center, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

Abstract

Objectives: The prevalence of tendinopathic changes of the distal biceps tendon (DBT) is not clear, in 
both the general population and patients with symptoms that may be related to distal biceps 
tendinopathy. The purpose of this study is to retrospectively determine the prevalence of distal biceps 
tendinopathy in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients undergoing an MRI of the elbow. A secondary 
aim is to assess the association between age and the prevalence of incidental distal biceps 
tendinopathy.
Methods: We assessed 1,180 MRI-reports describing the elbow region and calculated prevalence of incidental and 
symptomatic DBT tendinopathies. Symptomatic DBT tendinopathy was defined as patients that had complaints of 
anterior elbow pain. With a multivariate logistic regression analysis we tested whether age, sex, and race were 
independently associated with DBT tendinopathy.
Results: 276 of 1,180 (23%) of the distal biceps tendons showed signal changes on the MRI. Only 114 (10%) 
showed DBT tendinopathy, of which60 (5% of all tendons, 53% of tendons with tendinopathy) were incidental. The 
prevalence peaked between 40-49.9 years (37%) and 50-59.9 years (30%). There was no significant association 
between increasing age and incidental DBT tendinopathy (P= 0.935). However, there was a significant association 
between increasing age and tendinopathy, whether the tendinopathy was incidental or symptomatic (P< 0.001).
Conclusion: Signal changes in the DBT are common on MRI scans, however 53% of detected tendinopathies are 
incidental. There is no association between increasing age and prevalence of incidental DBT tendinopathy, though 
there is a significant association between increasing age and DBT tendinopathy.
 Level of evidence: II

Keywords

Main Subjects

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The Archives of Bone and Joint Surgery
Volume 12, Issue 10
October 2024
Pages 706-712

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History

  • Receive Date: 09 May 2024
  • Revise Date: 03 August 2024
  • Accept Date: 04 August 2024

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