[Arthroscopic treatment of rotator cuff calcifying tendinitis]

We evaluated the effectiveness of arthroscopic treatment in patients with rotator cuff calcifying tendinitis unresponsive to conservative treatment.

Arthroscopic treatment was performed in 10 patients (6 females, 4 males; mean age 46 years; range 34 to 53 years) in whom pain and functional disability persisted for more than a year despite conservative therapy for rotator cuff calcifying tendinitis. Arthroscopic bursectomy was also carried out. One patient underwent repair for rotator cuff tear. The patients were evaluated before and after surgery with the use of Constant scores and direct radiographs. The mean follow-up period was 12 months (range 6 to 19 months).

The mean Constant scores were 66 (range 45 to 70) and 93 (range 89 to 96) before surgery and on final examinations, respectively. Postoperative radiographs demonstrated incomplete removal of calcifications in four patients; however, complaints of pain disappeared in these patients and radiologic controls showed that residual deposits underwent spontaneous resorption.

Arthroscopic removal of calcium deposits together with bursectomy seems to be effective and reliable in patients with chronic calcifying tendinitis unresponsive to conservative treatment.