Spontaneous resorption of calcification at the long head of the biceps tendon

Calcific Tendinopathy Atypically Located Outside the Rotator Cuff: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Calcific tendinopathy is a common cause of painful shoulder easily identified with ultrasound or conventional radiography. Although the rotator cuff is by far the most common location of the disease and diagnostic or treatment strategies are well known in clinical practice, a lack of awareness characterizes the assessment of the other sites affected by this condition; consequently, the risk of underestimating the prevalence of atypical non-rotator cuff calcific tendinopathy is high. This may lead to expensive or invasive diagnostic exams and/or inappropriate treatment, whereas the condition is usually self-limited. The present study aims at analysing the frequency of calcific tendinitis in uncommon sites, in order to fill a gap in knowledge and awareness regarding non-rotator cuff calcific tendinopathy, thus avoiding improper clinical choices and helping to identify this condition.

METHODS

This systematic review was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines. We performed a search on Pubmed and Scopus databases concerning atypically sited extra-rotator cuff calcific tendinopathy published since 1950.

RESULTS

The research found a total of 267 articles and 793 non-rotator cuff cases of calcific tendinopathy registered. The spine (213 – 26.86%), foot and ankle (191 – 23.95%), and hip (175 – 22.06%) appeared to be the most common sites of calcific tendinopathy after the rotator cuff, whereas the longus colli C1-C2 (204 – 25.72%), Achilles (173 – 21.81%), and rectus femori (61 – 7.69%) were the most commonly affected tendons.

CONCLUSION

A better awareness of this condition in several different sites of the body than the rotator cuff could avoid unnecessary choices both in assessment and treatment.

Isolated calcific tendinitis at the posterosuperior labrum: a rare case study

Calcific tendinitis of the shoulder joint, also known as chemical furuncle of the shoulder, causes intense shoulder pain and usually occurs within 1-2 cm from the insertion of the rotator cuff. We experienced a rare case of calcific tendinitis in the posterosuperior labrum of the shoulder joint in a 39-year-old male patient who presented with severe pain and weakness in the right shoulder. Radiographs and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings showed calcific tendinitis in the posterosuperior labrum of the shoulder joint. A 1-week attempt at conservative treatment failed, so the calcified deposit in the posterosuperior labrum was arthroscopically removed. The patient's symptoms were completely relieved, and satisfactory clinical outcomes were achieved. Postoperative follow-up X-ray and MRI showed no recurrence of calcific tendinitis.

Calcification of the Anterior Acromial Insertion of the Deltoid Muscle

A 45-year-old man presented with severe left shoulder pain that was not associated with trauma. Plain radiography with the arm in an elevated position and ultrasonography demonstrated calcium deposits at the anterior acromial insertion site of left deltoid muscle. Conservative management could successfully relieve pain. At the 3-year follow-up, the calcification completely disappeared. To the best of our knowledge, calcium deposits at the acromial insertion site of the deltoid have not been reported in the literature. Clinicians who suspect calcific tendinitis but do not observe calcification around the rotator cuff should carefully palpate and examine other sites, such as the deltoid origin, and use ultrasonography or radiography.

Degradation of elastic fiber and elevated elastase expression in long head of biceps tendinopathy

Tendinopathy of the long head of the biceps (TLHB) involves various types of extracellular matrix degeneration, but previous studies have not evaluated elastic fibers. The purpose of this study was to investigate elastic fiber distribution in long head of the biceps (LHB). The TLHB tendons of 16 consecutive patients (eight men and eight women; average age of 55.75 years; age range of 40-71 years) were transected and harvested. Three cadaveric LHB tendons were used as the control group. The expression of collagen type I was decreased, but type III was increased in TLHB. Disruption of elastic fibers was particularly observed in grade II specimens where the level of elastase-positive staining was significantly higher than in grade I specimens. Elastic fibers were not observed in the grade III area, implying a higher expression of elastase than in the grade I area. Results of Western blotting showed that the expression of elastin was higher in the control group and the levels of elastin significantly decreased in grades II and III of TLHB. Levels of osteopontin and elastase were increased in primary culture of human tenocytes after experiencing elastic derived peptide treatment. These results suggested that elastase may be caused by the disruption of elastic fibers in the development of chronic tendinopathy and that elastic derived peptide may enhance elastase and osteopontin expression. © 2017 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 35:1919-1926, 2017.