Neurologic Complications of Distal Biceps Tendon Repair With 1-Incision Endobutton Fixation

Functional outcomes of biceps tendon rupture may be optimized with operative treatment.

We conducted a retrospective study to determine the neurologic complications of using 1-incision Endobutton fixation to repair distal biceps tendon ruptures. Patients with distal biceps tendon ruptures treated with a 1-incision technique and Endobutton fixation were included. The primary outcome measure was frequency of neurologic complications.

All 50 patients in the study were men. Mean age was 45 years. Twenty-one patients (42%) had at least 1 complication. Injury to the lateral antebrachial cutaneous nerve (LACN) was the most common (36%). Mean time to diagnosis was 17 days (range, 0 to 40 days). Posterior interosseous, anterior interosseous,
and superficial radial nerve palsies each occurred at a 4% rate. Mean follow-up was 133 days.

This study involved the largest cohort of patients with distal biceps tendon rupture repaired with Endobutton fixation using a 1-incision technique. The LACN injury rate (36%) was higher than in other studies using the same technique (0% to 22%). Injury rates for other neural structures near the elbow were comparable to those in the literature.