Transosseous arthroscopic repair of partial articular-surface supraspinatus tendon tears

Partial articular-surface tendon avulsion (PASTA) lesions of the supraspinatus muscle represent a common cause for shoulder impairment and a preceding pathology for full-thickness tendon tears. Arthroscopic tendon repair is a possible surgical method of treatment. The purposes of cuff repair are anatomical tendon healing, prevention of tear size progression to completion and reduction of shoulder pain. In this report, we describe a transtendon arthroscopic technique of transosseous refixation of articular-side partial tears leaving the bursal layer of the supraspinatus tendon intact. A curved hollow needle is used to perform an all arthroscopic transosseous mattress suture. Thus, anatomical tendon-to-bone contact of the rotator cuff to the footprint is restored. Preliminary clinical results of 16 patients are convincing with significant pain relief and functional improvement.     

Calcific tendinitis of popliteus tendon: a case report and review of literature

A 63-year-old woman presented with a 3-week history of worsening right knee pain. She was fully unable to bear weight and denied any history of trauma, locking or giving way. On examination, she was systemically well with posterolateral joint line tenderness and a reduced range of movement. Blood tests and a joint aspirate were normal. Radiographs reported no fracture, but suggested a loose body in the lateral gutter of the knee. She was discharged with analgesia and physiotherapy. Subsequent follow-up X-rays demonstrated the opacity in the later gutter to be appearing less dense until it eventually disappeared. This correlated to a progressive improvement in the patient’s pain and range of movement in the knee leading to the diagnosis of acute calcific tendinitis of the popliteus tendon. This case report suggests that calcifying tendinitis of popliteus tendon should be considered in the differential diagnosis of acutely painful knee. The case demonstrates that the natural history of calcifying tendinitis of popliteus is similar to that in supraspinatus and that conservative treatment will eventually resolve the symptoms.     

Mesenchymal stem cells and insulin‐like growth factor‐I gene‐enhanced mesenchymal stem cells improve structural aspects of healing in equine flexor digitorum superficialis tendons

Tendinitis remains a catastrophic injury among athletes. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have recently been investigated for use in the treatment of tendinitis. Previous work has demonstrated the value of insulin‐like growth factor‐I (IGF‐I) to stimulate cellular proliferation and tendon fiber deposition in the core lesion of tendinitis. This study examined the effects of MSCs, as well as IGF‐I gene‐enhanced MSCs (AdIGF‐MSCs) on tendon healing in vivo. Collagenase‐induced bilateral tendinitis lesions were created in equine flexor digitorum superficialis tendons (SDFT). Tendons were treated with 10 × 10⁶ MSCs or 10 × 10⁶ AdIGF‐MSCs. Control limbs were injected with 1 mL of phosphate‐buffered saline (PBS). Ultrasound examinations were performed at t = 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks. Horses were euthanized at 8 weeks and SDFTs were mechanically tested to failure and evaluated for biochemical composition and histologic characteristics. Expression of collagen types I and III, IGF‐I, cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), matrix metalloproteinase‐3 (MMP‐3), matrix metalloproteinase‐13 (MMP‐13), and aggrecanase‐1 (ADAMTS‐4) were similar in MSC and control tendons. Both MSC and AdIGF‐MSC injection resulted in significantly improved tendon histological scores. These findings indicate a benefit to the use of MSCs and AdIGF‐MSCs for the treatment of tendinitis. © 2009 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 27:1392–1398, 2009     

慢性钙化性冈上肌腱炎的关节镜下治疗

目的：探讨关节镜下治疗慢性钙化性冈上肌腱炎的手术方法与效果。方法：采用关节镜下手术治疗37例钙化性冈上肌腱炎患者,评估其术前、术后的X光片表现,采用视觉模拟法疼痛评分（VAS）,Constant-Murley评分和美国肩肘关节外科医师协会评分系统（ASES）分析患者术后的改善情况。结果：所有患者症状均得以缓解,5例患者术后X光片仍残留部分钙化灶,患者VAS、Constant-Murley及ASES评分均较术前改善（P〈0.05）。结论：关节镜下手术治疗钙化性冈上肌腱炎效果确切,尤其对保守治疗效果不佳的患者,是一种安全有效的治疗途径。     

Evaluating the long-term effect of ultrasound-guided needle puncture without aspiration on calcifying supraspinatus tendinitis

Introduction  The aim of this study was to evaluate whether aspiration affects patient outcome during ultrasound-guided needle puncture treatment for calcifying supraspinatus tendinitis. Methods  Eighty-one patients with calcifying supraspinatus tendinitis received needle puncture therapy under ultrasonography guidance. Group A received ultrasound-guided percutaneous needle punctures and aspiration of calcareous deposits, while Group B received ultrasound-guided punctures only. Patients were evaluated using a visual analog scale (VAS) for pain, shoulder function, and satisfaction 1, 2, 3, 6, 12, 24, and 36 weeks after treatment. The different VAS parameters were combined and the differences between groups were analyzed. Results  In both groups, VAS scores significantly decreased over the 36 weeks following treatment (P<0.05). Overall, the majority (6/7) of the VAS scores were not statistically different between groups. Conclusion  The results of the study suggest that aspirating calcified deposits do not affect patient outcome. Puncturing the calcified deposits (without aspiration) appears to be an effective treatment method for calcifying supraspinatus tendinitis.