Reconstruction of chronic long head of biceps tendon tears with gracilis allograft: report of two cases

Abstract

We present two cases of symptomatic chronic long head of the biceps tendon (LHBT) ruptures treated with reconstruction of the tendon with an allograft due to native tendon shortening in one case and complete native tendon loss in the other. A gracilis allograft was Pulver-Taft weaved through the biceps muscle belly to reconstruct the LHBT and provide sufficient working length to perform a subpectoral tenodesis. In cases of chronic, symptomatic LHBT rupture with a shortened or absent tendon, a gracilis allograft can be used to reconstruct the biceps tendon and to perform a subpectoral tenodesis, providing symptom relief and reversing a Popeye muscle.

Keywords

• proximal biceps reconstruction
• long head biceps reconstruction
• allograft biceps reconstruction
• biceps tendon deficiency
• subpectoral tenodesis