Defining biceps chondromalacia: An arthroscopic descriptive study.

BACKGROUND

Biceps chondromalacia (BCM), an attritional lesion on the humeral head, can occur from abrasion of the long head of biceps tendon (LHBT).

AIM: Describe the spectrum of BCM as seen arthroscopically in symptomatic biceps-labrum complex (BLC) disease and discuss its potential clinical implications.

METHODS

A retrospective observational study was conducted of a consecutive cohort of patients with symptomatic BLC disease who underwent a soft tissue biceps tenodesis procedure (arthroscopic transfer of the LHBT to the conjoint tendon) or biceps tenotomy over a two-year period.

RESULTS

Sixty-eight patients underwent a procedure for symptomatic BLC disease, with a mean age of 56 years, of which 72% were male. Of these patients, 51.5% (n = 35) were found to have BCM, with 37.1% (n = 13) of lesions being junctional, 54.3% (n = 19) being medial, and 8.6% (n = 3) being found to have both medial and junctional BCM. All patients with LHBT incarceration (n = 5) demonstrated medial BCM.

DISCUSSION: BCM is a common arthroscopic finding in patients with chronic BLC symptoms. BCM is typically identified in two distinct locations, medial and/or junctional. Routine evaluation for BCM on diagnostic arthroscopy should be performed in patients with suspected BLC disease.