Exact focusing of extracorporeal shock wave therapy for calcifying tendinopathy

A controlled prospective randomized study was designed to analyze the effect of extracorporeal shock wave therapy on calcifying tendinopathy of the shoulder focused on the calcified area or the origin of the supraspinatus tendon. Fifty patients were included in the study and were treated with a Storz Minilith Sl-1 shock wave generator. The first group of patients received 4000 impulses (positive energy flux density, 0.78 mJ/mm2) in two treatment sessions after receiving local anesthesia at the origin of the supraspinatus tendon. Patients in the second group received extracorporeal shock wave therapy at the calcified area. Follow-ups were done 12 weeks and 1 year after treatment by an independent observer. An increase of function and a reduction of pain occurred in both groups. Statistical analyses showed a significant superiority of extracorporeal shock wave application at the calcified area in the primary end point (Constant and Murley score). Therefore, exact fluoroscopic focusing of extracorporeal shock wave therapy at the calcific deposit for treatment of calcifying tendinopathy of the supraspinatus muscle is recommended. Based on these results, extracorporeal shock wave application should be focused fluoroscopically with appropriate shock wave generators.