Surgical approaches of shoulder calcific tendonitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Calcific tendonitis is a painful shoulder disorder characterized by calcium deposits (CDs) in the rotator cuff tendon. This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the most efficient surgical procedure for calcific tendonitis. This includes the comparison between the three main surgical techniques: CD removal, CD removal with subacromial decompression (SAD) and CD removal with tendon repair with respect to functional outcomes and pain control scores.

Four electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) were searched in February 2023. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they were peer-reviewed, and participants were patients diagnosed with calcific tendonitis of one or more rotator cuff tendon based on diagnostic imaging who underwent shoulder calcific tendonitis surgery. Other shoulder pathology diagnoses were excluded. Meta-analyses were conducted for results that were sufficiently homogeneous in terms of statistical, clinical, and methodological characteristics. Subgroup analyses were performed to determine if effect sizes differed based on the patient's position during the surgery, physiotherapy, and follow-up time.

All surgical interventions resulted in significant improvements in shoulder function and pain control. There were no significant differences between CD removal vs. CD removal with SAD or CD removal vs. CD removal with tendon repair. However, there was a trend in favor of CD removal alone or CD removal with SAD approaches, as they provided better outcome scores than CD removal with tendon repair in terms of shoulder function and pain control.

All surgical interventions provide substantial improvement in shoulder functions and pain control scores with no significant difference between these surgical techniques.