Calcified tendinitis: A review

Abstract

This review will discuss calcific periarthritis of the shoulder as a model. Clinical features of the syndrome are variable and include pain and inflammation. The key diagnostic feature is the radiograph. Clinical evolution is simple and the condition often resolves spontaneously. Some cases are persisted and may require aggressive treatment, including surgery. Numerous questions are still unanswered about this disorder, which is rarely associated with metabolic abnormalities of calcium and phosphorus. These include: the nature of the mechanism leading to calcium salt deposition; the frequent asymptomatic tolerance of such calcification, and, conversely, the initiating agent of inflammatory flares; and the way in which the material disperses.