Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Sep 1;32(5):458-466.
doi: 10.1097/JSM.0000000000001039. Epub 2022 Apr 22.

Calcific Tendinopathy of the Shoulder: A Retrospective Comparison of Traditional Barbotage Versus Percutaneous Ultrasonic Barbotage

William Berrigan  1 , Oluseun Olufade  1 , Giorgio Negron  2 , Kirk Easley  3 , Walter I Sussman  4   5
Affiliations

Calcific Tendinopathy of the Shoulder: A Retrospective Comparison of Traditional Barbotage Versus Percutaneous Ultrasonic Barbotage

William Berrigan et al. Clin J Sport Med. .

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare a traditional barbotage technique with percutaneous ultrasonic barbotage (PUB) for the treatment of rotator cuff (RC) calcific tendinopathy.

Design: Three-year retrospective review.

Setting: Participants aged 18 to 75 presenting at 2 highly specialized outpatient orthopedic referral centers with symptomatic RC calcific tendinopathy.

Patients: There were 75 patients included (23 patients in the traditional barbotage group; 52 patients in the PUB group) with an average age of 55.3(6.5) and 55.9(9.8), respectively. There was no significant difference in demographics between groups.

Interventions: Traditional barbotage or PUB.

Main outcome measures: Primary outcome measure was pain rated on the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) with secondary outcomes investigating patient satisfaction.

Results: The barbotage and PUB group demonstrated a significant improvement in pain (barbotage 2.4, P = 0.01; PUB = 2.6, P < 0.001) with no statistically significant difference between the 2 treatment modalities (95% CI: -1.8 to 2.2; P = 0.83, P = 0.83). Median follow-up for NPRS recordings was 17-weeks in the barbotage group and 8-weeks in the PUB group ( P = 0.004). Both groups demonstrated similar patient-reported satisfaction, without major complications.

Conclusion: The traditional barbotage and PUB procedures improved pain with a high patient satisfaction rate.

Level of evidence: Level III.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

References

    1. Suzuki K, Potts A, Anakwenze O, et al. Calcific tendinitis of the rotator cuff: management options. J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2014;22:707–717.
    1. Bosworth BM. Calcium deposits in the shoulder and subacromial bursitis—a survey of 12,122 shoulders. J Amer Med Assoc. 1941;116:2477–2482.
    1. Speed CA, Hazleman BL. Calcific tendinitis of the shoulder. N Engl J Med. 1999;340:1582–1584.
    1. Lanza E, Banfi G, Serafini G, et al. Ultrasound-guided percutaneous irrigation in rotator cuff calcific tendinopathy: what is the evidence? A systematic review with proposals for future reporting. Eur Radiol. 2015;25:2176–2183.
    1. Hamada J, Ono W, Tamai K, et al. Analysis of calcium deposits in calcific periarthritis. J Rheumatol. 2001;28:809–813.