Calcific tendinitis of the long head of the biceps brachii distal to the glenohumeral joint: plain film radiographic findings

Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY 10021.

Calcific tendinitis is a painful condition related to deposition of hydroxyapatite crystals; it favors large joints. The shoulder, specifically the tendons of the rotator cuff and the insertion of the long head of the biceps on the superior glenoid rim, is a well-recognized location for this abnormality. The purpose of this article is to describe a second site of calcific tendinitis of the biceps, distal to the joint and corresponding to the junction of the tendon and muscle. Radiographs in 119 cases of calcific tendinitis of the shoulder, obtained between 1980 and 1988, were reviewed. Twenty had calcific tendinitis in the region of the tendon of the long head of the biceps (nine at the glenoid insertion and 11 adjacent to the humeral shaft). All 11 patients with calcific tendinitis at the more distal site had a small, homogeneous deposit adjacent to the proximal humeral shaft. The densities in these 11 cases followed the normal course of the tendon of the long head of the biceps and were therefore medial to the proximal humeral shaft on the internal rotation view, lateral to the proximal humeral shaft on the external rotation view, and anterior to the proximal humeral shaft on the axillary projection. The major differential diagnosis of calcific tendinitis of the tendon of the long head of the biceps is loose bodies trapped in the biceps tendon sheath. Although the position of the soft-tissue densities in these two entities is similar, loose bodies have an appearance of bone, and their source (degenerative arthritis or recurrent dislocations) is usually apparent. A site of calcific tendinitis distal to the glenohumeral joint that is detectable on plain films is reviewed. Accurate diagnosis depends on understanding the anatomy of the tendon of the long head of the biceps brachii. The clinical charts of the 11 patients also are summarized, with emphasis on the association between the roentgen finding and bicipital tendinitis and impingement syndrome.
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