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Calcifying Tendonitis of the Rotator Cuff

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Arthroscopy

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Abstract

Calcific tendonitis is a common cause of shoulder pain which mainly affects patients within the age of 30–60 years. Women are more frequently affected. Patients suffer from typical impingement pain which may highly impair shoulder function as well as quality of life. Additional ultrasound and radiological evaluation of the affected shoulder can secure the diagnosis. Moreover, the size and the shape of the calcific deposit as well as the localization can be determined.

Conservative treatment consists of oral anti-inflammatories, analgetics, subacromial injections, and physical therapy. Extracorporeal shock wave therapy as well as percutaneous needling with barbotage of the deposits have shown to decrease pain and may induce resorption of the deposit in a significant amount of patients. If conservative treatment fails, arthroscopic procedures consist of removal of the deposit with or without rotator cuff repair, bursectomy, as well as additional or isolated acromioplasty leading to excellent clinical results with a low complication rate. However, based on current literature, the optimal choice of treatment still remains uncertain, as no procedure has shown to be significantly superior to the others.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Saarland University, Kirrberger Str., Geb. 37/38, Homburg, Saar, 66421, Germany

    Olaf Lorbach MD, PhD

  2. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg, 78, rue d’Eich, Luxembourg, 1460, Luxembourg

    Romain Seil

  3. Sports Medicine Research Laboratory, Luxembourg Institute of Health, Centre Médical Norbert Metz, 78, rue d’Eich, Luxembourg, 1460, Luxembourg

    Romain Seil

Authors
  1. Olaf Lorbach MD, PhD
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  2. Romain Seil
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Olaf Lorbach MD, PhD .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. San Donato Milanese, Milano, Italy

    Pietro Randelli

  2. Lyon, France

    David Dejour

  3. Academic Med Ctr, Orthopedic Surger, Univ of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    C. Niek van Dijk

  4. Istituto Clinico Humanitas, Rozzano, Milan, Italy

    Matteo Denti

  5. Dept Orthopedic Surgery & Sports Meds, Ctr Hospitalier Clinique d’Eich, Luxemburg, Luxembourg

    Romain Seil

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Lorbach, O., Seil, R. (2016). Calcifying Tendonitis of the Rotator Cuff. In: Randelli, P., Dejour, D., van Dijk, C., Denti, M., Seil, R. (eds) Arthroscopy. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-49376-2_42

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-49376-2_42

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-662-49376-2

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