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Clinical Outcomes of Ultrasound-Guided Aspiration and Lavage in Calcific Tendinosis of the Shoulder

  • Original Article
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HSS Journal

Abstract

Objective

To determine the effectiveness of ultrasound-guided aspiration and lavage in the treatment of patients with calcific tendinosis of the shoulder.

Materials and methods

Retrospective chart review resulted in 44 patients who were identified as having received ultrasound-guided aspiration of calcific tendinosis of the shoulder between 2000 and 2003. Of these, 36 patients were interviewed by telephone for pre- and posttreatment assessment of pain, shoulder function, prior shoulder surgery, injury, and prescribed treatment modalities with a follow-up time of 8 months to 3.1 years (mean = 22.5 months). L’Insalata score, numeric rating scale (NRS), and patient satisfaction score served as outcome measures.

Results

Our criteria for a successful outcome included (1) 12-point or greater improvement in the L’Insalata shoulder rating questionnaire, (2) 2-point or greater improvement in the NRS, (3) patient satisfaction rating of “good”, “very good”, or “excellent”, (4) patients’ willingness to undergo the procedure again if they experienced recurrent symptoms, and (5) 1 month or less of analgesic medication use after the aspiration procedure. We determined that ultrasound-guided aspiration of calcific tendinosis of the shoulder resulted in a successful outcome for 75% (27/36) of patients with a mean 20.2-point improvement in the L’Insalata shoulder rating questionnaire score and a mean 6.4-point improvement in the NRS (p < 0.01). Conclusion: This retrospective study suggests that ultrasound-guided aspiration and lavage of calcific shoulder deposits appears to be an efficacious therapeutic modality for treatment of calcific tendinosis. Further studies involving prospective randomized controlled trials would be helpful to further assess the long-term efficacy of this procedure as a minimally invasive treatment for calcific tendinosis of the shoulder.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Physiatry Department, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY, 10021, USA

    Julie T. Lin MD, Ana Bracilovic MD, Grant Cooper MD & Gregory E. Lutz MD

  2. Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, 10021, USA

    Julie T. Lin MD, Ana Bracilovic MD, Grant Cooper MD & Gregory E. Lutz MD

  3. Division of Ultrasound and Body CT Department of Radiology and Imaging, Hospital for Special Surgery, 535 East 70th Street, New York, NY, 10021, USA

    Ronald S. Adler PhD, MD & Carolyn Sofka MD

  4. Radiology Department, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, 10021, USA

    Ronald S. Adler PhD, MD & Carolyn Sofka MD

Authors
  1. Julie T. Lin MD
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  2. Ronald S. Adler PhD, MD
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  3. Ana Bracilovic MD
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  4. Grant Cooper MD
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  5. Carolyn Sofka MD
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  6. Gregory E. Lutz MD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ronald S. Adler PhD, MD.

Additional information

This study was performed by the Departments of Physiatry and of Radiology and Imaging, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY.

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Lin, J.T., Adler, R.S., Bracilovic, A. et al. Clinical Outcomes of Ultrasound-Guided Aspiration and Lavage in Calcific Tendinosis of the Shoulder. HSS Jrnl 3, 99–105 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11420-006-9037-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11420-006-9037-9

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