Case Report
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2023. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Sep 16, 2023; 11(26): 6304-6310
Published online Sep 16, 2023. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v11.i26.6304
Bilateral dislocation of the long head of biceps tendon with intact rotator cuff tendon: A case report
Hyuk-Joon Sohn, Chul-Hyun Cho, Du-Han Kim
Hyuk-Joon Sohn, Chul-Hyun Cho, Du-Han Kim, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Keimyung University Dongsan Hospital, Keimyung University School of Medicine, Daegu 42601, South Korea
Author contributions: Sohn HJ and Cho CH contributed equally to this article as first authors; Cho CH and Kim DH designed the research study; Sohn HJ and Kim DH performed the research; Cho CH contributed new reagents and analytic tools; Cho CH and Sohn HJ analyzed the data and wrote the manuscript; and all authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Informed consent statement: Informed written consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this report and any accompanying images.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Du-Han Kim, MD, PhD, Doctor, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Keimyung University Dongsan Hospital, Keimyung University School of Medicine, 1035 Dalgubul-ro, Dalseo-gu, Daegu 42601, South Korea. osmdkdh@gmail.com
Received: July 5, 2023
Peer-review started: July 5, 2023
First decision: August 10, 2023
Revised: August 16, 2023
Accepted: August 21, 2023
Article in press: August 21, 2023
Published online: September 16, 2023
Processing time: 65 Days and 9 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Dislocation of the long head of biceps tendon (LHBT) usually involves rotator cuff injury, and isolated dislocation with an intact rotator cuff is rare. Some cases of isolated dislocation have been reported. However, to the best of our knowledge, there has been no report of bilateral dislocation of the LHBT without rotator cuff pathology.

CASE SUMMARY

A 23-year-old male presented to our outpatient clinic with left side dominant pain in both shoulders. The patient had no history of trauma or overuse. The patient underwent intra-articular injection and physical therapy, but his symptoms aggravated. Based on preoperative imaging, the diagnosis was bilateral dislocation of the LHBT. Dysplasia of the bicipital groove was detected in both shoulders. Active dislocation of the biceps tendon over an intact subscapularis tendon was identified by diagnostic arthroscopy. Staged biceps tenodesis was performed and continuous passive motion therapy was administered immediately after surgery. The patient’s pain was resolved, and full functional recovery was achieved, and he was satisfied with the condition of his shoulders.

CONCLUSION

This study describes a rare case of bilateral dislocations of the LHBT without rotator cuff injury due to dysplasia of the bicipital groove.

Keywords: Shoulder; Biceps; Dislocation; Rotator cuff; Tenodesis; Case report

Core Tip: The long head of biceps tendon (LHBT), which has been regarded as a significant cause of anterior shoulder pain, often occurs with other shoulder pathologies. Trauma and repetitive mechanical wear can lead to development of biceps subluxation and dislocations. Association of sports activity and injury with LHBT pathology has also been reported. The subscapularis fiber function as the medial and proximal portion of the soft tissue sling and subscapularis lesions are almost always accompanied by dislocation. This report describes a rare case of bilateral dislocation of the LHBT without rotator cuff pathology.