Abstract
The biceps brachii muscle is one of the most variable muscles in the human body in terms of number and morphology of its heads. In contrast, the absence of the long or short head of the biceps brachii and variations in its insertions are quite rare. This could create difficulties in diagnosis in both magnetic resonance imaging and surgery.A total of 50 formol-carbol fixed human upper extremities from the autopsy material available at the Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology at the Medical University of Sofia were examined thoroughly for variations of the the long head of the biceps brachii. We observed six cases of variations of the long head of this muscle: five cases with hypoplasia and one case with three origins of the long head of biceps brachii.In conclusion, although rare, different variations of the long head of the biceps brachii muscle should always be borne in mind by clinicians. A hypoplastic long head could be present as swelling in the antero-lateral aspect in the distal part of the brachium during flexion of the forearm and in that way may simulate a rupture of the long head of the biceps brachii. Some of the variations could also increase the risk of acquiring shoulder instability and may create difficulty during shoulder arthroscopy.
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