Calcifying tendinitis of the shoulder: prognostic value of clinical, histologic, and radiologic features in 57 surgically treated cases

Abstract

Calcifying tendinitis of the shoulder was studied in 57 patients before and after surgical removal of the calcified material. Many patients with an acute flare of pain prior to surgery also had a "fluffy" calcific deposit on radiograph and histologic evidence of calcium resorption. Conversely, patients with no acute preoperative symptom flare were more likely to have a sharply "defined" calcific deposit on radiograph and less histologic evidence of calcium resorption. Fully 30% of the patients continued to have shoulder pain for more than 12 weeks postoperatively. There were no clinical, radiologic or histologic features which distinguished these patients from those who were symptom free within 6 weeks postoperatively.