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CC BY-NC-ND-license · Joints 2015; 03(04): 166-172
DOI: 10.11138/jts/2015.3.4.166
Original Article
Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Calcifying tendinitis of the shoulder: arthroscopic needling versus complete calcium removal and rotator cuff repair. A prospective comparative study

Alessandro Castagna
1   Shoulder and Elbow Service, IRCCS Humanitas Institute, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
,
Silvana De Giorgi
2   Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neurosciences and Sensory Organs, University of Bari, Italy
,
Raffaele Garofalo
3   Shoulder Service, MIULLI Hospital, Acquaviva delle Fonti, Bari, Italy
,
Marco Conti
1   Shoulder and Elbow Service, IRCCS Humanitas Institute, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
,
Silvio Tafuri
4   Department of Biomedical Science and Human Oncology, University of Bari, Italy
,
Biagio Moretti
1   Shoulder and Elbow Service, IRCCS Humanitas Institute, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
15 September 2017 (online)

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Abstract

Purpose: the aim of the present study was to verify the differences in the clinical outcomes of two arthroscopic techniques used to treat calcifying tendinitis of the shoulder: needling versus complete removal of the calcium deposit and tendon repair.

Methods: from September 2010 to September 2012, 40 patients with calcifying tendinitis of the rotator cuff were arthroscopically treated by the same surgeon using one of the two following techniques: needling (Group 1) and complete removal of the calcium deposit and tendon repair with suture anchors (Group 2). Both groups followed the same rehabilitation program. The two groups were compared at 6 and 12 months of follow-up for the presence of residual calcifications and for the following clinical outcomes: Constant score, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Evaluation Form (ASES) shoulder score, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) shoulder rating scale, Simple Shoulder Test (SST) and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS).

Results: all the clinical scores (Constant, ASES, UCLA, SST and VAS scores) improved significantly between baseline and postoperative follow-up, both at 6 and at 12 months. no differences at final follow-up were found between the two groups.

Conclusions: both the techniques were effective in solving the symptoms of calcifying tendinitis of the shoulder. Clinical scores improved in both groups. Residual calcifications were found in only a few cases and were always less than 10 mm.

Level of evidence:Level II, prospective comparative study.

Key Words

calcium deposit - shoulder - calcifying tendinitis - needling - removal - rotator cuff