Abstract:

Objective　To analyze clinical significance and relationship between the long head of bicep tendon (LHBT) lesions and rotator cuff injury.　Methods　A total of 126 patients with rotator cuff repaired by arthroscopy were analyzed in the Affiliated Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital of Southwest Medical University during 2010~2017. Examination and evaluation of LHBT were performed during the operation. The types of LHBT lesions were recorded and the correlation between the LHBT lesion and the time of rotator cuff tear, the size of the tear and the involvement of the tendon were analyzed.    Results    There were type I lesions of LHBT (tendinitis) 51 cases (40.5%), type II lesion (subluxation) 12 cases (9.5%), type III (total dislocation) 12 cases (9.5%), type IV (partial tear) 15 cases (11.9%), type V (complete rupture) 6 cases (4.8%), remaining 30 cases (23.8%) without obvious pathological changes of LHBT. All patients with chronic rotator cuff tear who had a history of more than 12 weeks were accompanied by LHBT lesions. The patients with the subscapalaris (SSC) injury were more prone to LHBT lesions. And the greater the degree of the tearing of the subscapalaris, the higher the incidence of LHBT lesions；the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05).　Conclusions　The LHBT lesion was closely related to the rotator cuff injury, especially in patients with the tearing of the SSC, which was positively correlated with the size of the tearing of the SSC. When examining rotator cuff injury, especially in the case of combined injury of the SSC, we should pay attention to LHBT to avoid missed diagnosis. Early identification and repair of injured rotator cuff can prevent further deterioration of LHBT lesions.

Key words: The long head of bicep tendon lesion, 　Rotator cuff injury, 　Subscapularis, 　Relationship