rss
Br J Sports Med 2009;43:603-607 doi:10.1136/bjsm.2007.039016
  • Original article

Characteristics at haematoxylin and eosin staining of ruptures of the long head of the biceps tendon

  1. U G Longo1,
  2. F Franceschi1,
  3. L Ruzzini1,
  4. C Rabitti2,
  5. S Morini2,
  6. N Maffulli3,
  7. V Denaro1
  1. 1
    Department of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery, Campus Biomedico University, Rome, Italy
  2. 2
    Department of Surgical Pathology, Campus Biomedico University, Rome, Italy
  3. 3
    Department of Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery, University Hospital of North Staffordshire, Keele University School of Medicine, Stoke on Trent, UK
  1. Correspondence to Professor N Maffuli, Department of Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery, University Hospital of North Staffordshire, Keele University School of Medicine, Thornburrow Drive, Hartshill, Stoke on Trent, ST4 7LN, UK; osa14{at}keele.ac.uk
  • Accepted 8 November 2007
  • Published Online First 10 December 2007

Abstract

Objective: To examine the relative prevalence of histological changes that have been found to be associated with the process of tendinopathy in lesions of the tendon of the long head of the biceps brachii and to evaluate the reliability of histopathological evaluation of tendon tissue in lesions of the tendon of the long head of the biceps.

Design: Tendon samples were taken from 51 patients (31 men, 20 women; mean age 63.2 years) who underwent arthroscopic release of the long head of the biceps tendon because of refractory biceps tendinopathy and from 5 male patients who died of cardiovascular events (mean age 69.6 years). Histological examination was performed using haematoxylin and eosin staining of sections, which were interpreted using a semiquantitative grading scale assessing fibre structure and arrangement, rounding of the nuclei, regional variations in cellularity, increased vascularity, decreased collagen staining and hyalinisation.

Results: The mean (SD) pathological sum score of ruptured tendons was greater than that of control tendons (15.76 (3.11) vs 3.4 (1.9), p<0.001). Within each specific category of tendon abnormalities, the χ2 test showed significant differences between the control and ruptured tendons; all the variables were significantly different (Mann–Whitney U test 0.05, p<0.001). Using the κ statistic, the agreement between the two readings ranged from 0.53 to 0.85.

Conclusions: Unruptured tendons of the long head of the biceps, even at an advanced age and ruptured tendons of the long head of the biceps are clearly part of two distinct populations.

Footnotes

  • Competing interests None.

This Article

  1. Abstract
  2. Full text
  3. PDF
  4. All versions of this article:
    1. bjsm.2007.039016v1
    2. 43/8/603 most recent

Responses

  1. Submit a response
  2. No responses published

Register for free content

The full back archive is now available for all BMJ Journals. Institutional subscribers may access the entire archive as part of their subscription. Personal subscribers will also have access to all content when logged in. Non-subscribers who register have free access to all articles published before 2006 right back to volume 1 issue 1. Register here to access the free archive of all BMJ Journals.

Don't forget to sign up for content alerts so you keep up to date with all the articles as they are published.