Three weeks of indomethacin is not superior to 1 week of meloxicam as prophylaxis for heterotopic ossifications after distal biceps tendon repair with a single-incision technique.

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of 3 weeks of indomethacin, a nonselective nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, in comparison to 1 week of meloxicam as prophylaxis for heterotopic ossifications (HOs) after distal biceps tendon repair.

Methods: A single-center retrospective study was performed on 78 patients undergoing distal biceps tendon repair between 2008 and 2019. From 2008 to 2016, patients received meloxicam 15 mg daily for the period of 1 week as usual care. From 2016 onward, the standard protocol was changed to indomethacin 25 mg 3 times daily for 3 weeks. All patients underwent a single-incision repair with a cortical button technique. The postoperative rehabilitation protocol was similar for all patients. The postoperative radiographs at 8-week follow-up were assessed blindly by 7 independent assessors. If HOs were present, it was classified according to the Ilahi-Gabel classification for size and according to the Gärtner-Heyer classification for density. Statistical analysis was performed to analyze the difference in HO between the patients who were treated with indomethacin and with meloxicam.

Results: Seventy-eight patients, with a mean age of 48.8 years (range 30-72) were included. The mean follow-up after surgery was 12 months (range 2-45). Indomethacin (21 days, 25 mg 3 times per day) was prescribed to 26 (33%) patients. The 52 other patients (67%) were prescribed meloxicam 15 mg daily for 7 days. HOs were seen in 19 patients 8 weeks postoperatively. Five of 26 patients treated with indomethacin developed HO, and 14 of 52 patients treated with meloxicam developed HO (P = .5). Two patients had symptomatic HO with minor restrictions in movement; neither patient was treated with indomethacin. Significantly more HOs were seen in patients with a longer time from injury to surgery (P = .01) The intraclass correlation score for reliability between assessors for HO scoring on postoperative radiographs was good to excellent for both classifications.

Conclusion: In this study, HOs were seen in 24% of postoperative radiographs. Three weeks of indomethacin was not superior to meloxicam for 1 week for the prevention of HO after single-incision distal biceps tendon repair.