Tearing of the distal triceps is uncommon and may be difficult to diagnose, especially in situations of partial tearing. Imaging methods such as ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging should be used to confirm the diagnosis and define the extent of the injury. The preferred treatment for complete tearing of the triceps is surgical, unlike in cases of partial tearing, in which the treatment depends on factors such as pain, functional deficit and the patient's expectations. Here, we describe the case of a patient with partial tearing of the distal triceps after falling to the ground, which was not diagnosed at the time of first attendance and evolved with pain and great functional loss. The surgical procedure was performed nine months after the injury, with reconstruction of the triceps by means of reinforcement using the tendon of the ipsilateral semitendinosus and fixation in the olecranon using the double-row configuration. The patient remained immobilized using a sling for one week and then gains in passive range of motion (ROM) were introduced. Three weeks later, the patient was released for gains in active ROM. Muscle strengthening was started after 12 weeks. Six weeks after the surgical procedure, the patient was free from pain and presented complete ROM, grade V elbow extension force and hypertrophy of the triceps. The technique described here was shown to be useful for treating tears of the tendon of the distal triceps.

Objective: To assess results of CTA® partial shoulder arthroplasty for treatment of degenerative arthropathy of the rotator cuff. Methods: Between December 2006 and June 2009, 23 shoulders of 23 patients were submitted to CTA® type partial shoulder arthroplasty for treatment of arthropathy secondary to rotator cuff injury. Post-operative follow up time ranged from 6 to 35 months. Mean age was 74.1 years. Patients were predominantly female, representing 78.3% of cases. The right limb was affected in 18 patients. All patients had undergone at least 6 months of physiotherapy without improvement of the algetic picture, and being submitted to surgery by the same surgical team. None of the patients had history of surgery on the affected shoulder. The method elected for assessing patients during post-operative follow up was based on UCLA scoring criteria. Results: Improvement in pain was observed in all patients after arthroplasty. Mean UCLA pain score was 9.22 (ranging from 10 to 8). Mean function was 6 (10 to 2). Active frontal flexion was 2.39 (highest score 4 and lowest 0). Mean frontal flexion force was 4.09, maximum was 5 and minimum 3. Mean score on the UCLA was 26.52. 95% were satisfied with the surgery. Conclusion: CTA® type partial shoulder arthroplasty produced satisfactory results in the treatment of degenerative arthropathy of the rotator cuff and had a low rate of complications.

Simultaneous bilateral rupture of the distal biceps tendon is a rare clinical entity, seldom reported in the literature and with unclear therapeutic setting. The authors report the case of a 39-year-old white man who suffered a simultaneous bilateral rupture while working out. When weightlifting with elbows at 90° of flexion, he suddenly felt pain on the anterior aspect of the arms, coming for evaluation after two days. He presented bulging contour of the biceps muscle belly and ecchymosis in the antecubital fossa, extending distally to the medial aspect of the forearm, as well as a marked decrease of supination strength and pain in active elbow flexion. MRI confirmed the rupture with retraction of the distal biceps bilaterally. The authors opted for performing the tendon repairs simultaneously through the double incision technique and fixation to the bicipital tuberosity with anchors. The patient progressed quite well, with full return to labor and sports activities, being satisfied with the result after two years of surgery. In the literature search, few reports of simultaneous bilateral rupture of the distal biceps were retrieved, with only one treated in the acute phase of injury. Therefore, the authors consider this procedure to be a good option to solve this complex condition.

Resumo Objetivo Avaliar os resultados clínicos da artroplastia reversa do ombro no tratamento de suas diversas indicações. Métodos Estudo longitudinal retrospectivo que analisou os resultados dos escores Constant, UCLA e amplitudes de movimentos dos pacientes submetidos à artroplastia reversa do ombro. Resultados Foram analisados 28 pacientes, a média de idade foi de 75.6 anos, com seguimento médio de 45 meses. No geral, obtivemos uma variação significativa (p < 0,0001) entre o escore UCLA pré-operatório (10,2 pontos) e o escore UCLA pós-operatório (29,6 pontos), o que corresponde a um aumento relativo de aproximadamente 200%. Além disso, obtivemos pontuação média do escore Constant de 67,8 e uma taxa de complicações de 17,8%. Quanto aos resultados funcionais segundo as indicações, os casos de sequela de fratura apresentaram as melhores médias de elevação (165°), escore Constant (79 pontos), escore UCLA pós-operatório (32,5 pontos) e aumento absoluto na variação do escore UCLA (22 pontos), sem significância estatística. Porém, identificou-se que os casos operados por sequela de fratura apresentaram elevação (p = 0,027) e pontuação no escore Constant (p = 0,047) significativamente maiores em relação aos casos de artropatia do manguito rotador. Além disso, observamos que as menores médias dos escores Constant e UCLA pós-operatórios foram obtidos nas seguintes etiologias: artrose primária, fratura aguda e revisão de artroplastia. Conclusão A artroplastia reversa de ombro apresentou resultados funcionais satisfatórios, podendo ser uma opção de tratamento não somente nos casos de artropatia do manguito rotador, mas também em várias outras patologias.

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