2023 COA Annual Meeting: Chronic Calcific Tendonitis of the Rotator Cuff: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials Comparing Operative and Non-operative Interventions

27 studies with 2,252 patients with calcific tendonitis of the rotator cuff were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis comparing operative intervention and non-operative interventions (extracorporeal shockwave therapy [ESWT] and ultrasound-guided needle barbotage [UGN]). Pooled outcomes of interest included pain, functional outcomes (Constant-Murley score), and the resolution of calcific deposits. The surgical intervention provided similar pain outcomes to the non-surgical intervention (particularly UGN) but demonstrated superior functional outcomes compared to both ESWT and UGN. The rate of calcific deposit resolution was also significantly higher than in the UGN group (85% vs. 67%).