Ultrasound of the distal biceps brachii tendon using four approaches: reproducibility and reader preference

To determine which sonographic appearance of the distal biceps brachii tendon (DBBT) is preferred by readers, and if images obtained by two different operators are reproducible.

We performed an IRB-approved prospective sonographic evaluation of the DBBT in 50 healthy elbows using four different approaches (anterior, lateral, medial, posterior) performed by two operators. Five musculoskeletal radiologists independently reviewed the images, and ranked the four approaches based on overall appearance of echogenicity of the tendon, visualized length, and visualization of the insertion.

The medial approach was preferred in 79.6% of elbows, anterior in 17.6%, lateral in 2.8%, and the posterior approach was never preferred. The difference was statistically significant (P < 0.001). Kappa values for the five readers were 0.61 to 0.8 for choosing the images produced by the medial approach.

The appearance of the DBBT using the medial approach is preferred by readers and is reproducible between different operators.