[The calcitonin treatment of patients with algodystrophy]

23 patients with algodystrophy, 28 up to 82 years of age, were treated with calcitonin during the period 1978-1988 and the effect of the treatment is discussed. The treatment was carried out with the drug Myacalcic "Sandoz" in a daily dose of 100 IU, administered intramuscularly every day in the course of 10 days. The following clinical parameters were followed up: pain, swelling, functional capacity, skin (dystrophic) changes. The patients are classified in 2 groups in relation to the results: I. group--acute stage and II. group--chronic stage of the disease. The pain was favourably influenced in both groups by the Myacalcic treatment. In the acute stage the swelling was favourably influenced in 81% of the patients, the skin changes in 89%, the functional capacity was improved 1.64 times. In the chronic stage the swelling was reduced in 25% of the patients, there was no effect on the dystrophic changes and the functional capacity decreased in spite of the treatment.