Disodium EDTA is safe and effective for the management of calcific tendinitis of the shoulder,

Effectiveness of treatment of calcific tendinitis of the shoulder by disodium EDTA.

Angelo Cacchio, Elisabetta De Blasis, Piergiorgio Desiati, Giorgio Spacca, Valter Santilli, Fosco De Paulis

Arthritis Rheum

Jan 15, 2009

Sources

0:00 / 0:00

Sign in to access this feature

Create a free account or sign in to use AI summaries, listen to articles, download PDFs, and save to your library.

592 views

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of disodium EDTA administration in the treatment of calcific tendinitis of the shoulder. METHODS: Eighty patients with radiographically verified calcific tendinitis of the shoulder were enrolled between September 2001 and October 2003. Patients were randomly assigned to either a study group (n = 40) or a control group (n = 40). Pain and functional level were evaluated before and after treatment and at 1-year followup. Radiographic modifications in calcifications were evaluated before and after treatment. Disodium EDTA was administered through single needle mesotherapy and 15 minutes of pulsed-mode 1 MHz-ultrasound. RESULTS: The study group displayed improvement in all of the parameters analyzed after treatment and at the 1-year followup. Calcifications disappeared completely in 62.5% of the patients in the study group and partially in 22.5%; calcifications partially disappeared in only 15% of the patients in the control group, and none displayed a complete disappearance. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that the use of disodium EDTA for the management of calcific tendinitis of the shoulder is safe and effective, leading to a significant reduction in pain, improvement in shoulder function, and disappearance of calcifications after 4 weeks, without adverse effects.