Hello, I'm Dr. Dongkyu Lee, an orthopedic specialist. Many patients suffer greatly after being diagnosed with shoulder calcific tendinitis. When the pain reaches its peak, it can be so excruciating that some patients say they feel like cutting off their arm. In cases of severe pain, patients typically receive injections for temporary relief or undergo surgery to remove the calcium deposits. However, injections alone do not make the calcium deposits disappear. Furthermore, since calcific tendinitis can be treated without surgery, surgical intervention is not necessary. So how do we treat calcific tendinitis without surgery? The answer is calcific deposit crushing and aspiration. This is a non-surgical procedure that treats shoulder calcific tendinitis by removing the pain-causing calcium deposits without any incision. For more details, please refer to the link below. https://blog.naver.com/9690067/223257109207
🔗 https://blog.naver.com/9690067/223257109207Let me show you a case. This patient had been suffering from calcific tendinitis for two years. She would get injections when the pain flared up, feel better briefly, then the pain would return — and this cycle kept repeating. Eventually, even injections stopped providing relief, and her previous hospital recommended surgery. That's when she came to see me. Let's take a look at her condition.
On the X-ray, you can see a large white calcium deposit within the red circle. I used ultrasound to evaluate the characteristics and measure the size of the deposit.
An enormous calcium deposit measuring 2.95 x 1.80 cm was found, and it appeared to be a hard, dense type of calcification that doesn't transmit ultrasound well. Given the large size of the deposit, the patient's prolonged suffering, and most importantly the severe pain that was interfering with daily life, I proceeded with the calcific deposit crushing and aspiration procedure.
To manage pain, a regional nerve block (brachial plexus block) was performed first, followed by sedation to eliminate any anxiety during the procedure. Using real-time ultrasound guidance, a specially designed guide was inserted precisely into the calcium deposit. A specially designed drill was then used to crush the internal calcification. After crushing, sterile saline was repeatedly injected and aspirated to flush out and remove the fragmented calcium. Let's take a look at the syringe after the procedure.
The white material settled at the bottom of the syringe within the yellow circle is the crushed and aspirated calcium. A post-procedure X-ray was taken.
The massive calcium deposit visible before the procedure has been almost completely removed.
Viewing the before and after images side by side makes the removal of the calcium deposit even more apparent. After seeing the aspirated calcium in the syringe and the post-procedure X-ray, the patient expressed deep gratitude, saying she couldn't believe that after two years of suffering, there was a way to resolve calcific tendinitis in a single session without surgery. She then asked why other hospitals and doctors don't offer this treatment. This procedure requires significant experience and skill. It's a technically demanding procedure. I've tried teaching and training other physicians, but it's not easy to master. Some physicians are unable to remove the calcium deposits at all. Currently, I use a specially designed drill and guide that I developed to perform calcific deposit crushing and aspiration more efficiently, and both my patients and I have been very satisfied with the outcomes.
Shoulder calcific tendinitis can be resolved in a single session without surgery through calcific deposit crushing and aspiration. Dr. Dongkyu Lee
