Intraosseous extension of supraspinatus calcific tendonitis in a young patient with severe shoulder pain: a rare case report

Calcific tendinopathy is one of the causes of shoulder pain and limited range of motion when it affects the rotator cuff tendons. Complications of such a condition are rare and include intraosseous and intramuscular migration. Calcific tendonitis can be classified as acute, subacute or chronic based on the onset of symptoms. The incidence of calcific tendonitis affects females more than males, with the median age of onset being between 40 and 60 years old. Diagnostic modalities include radiographs and computed tomography (CT); however, these are suboptimal when compared to the sensitivity of magnetic resonance imaging. Ninety percent of these cases are treated non-surgically. We present a rare case of a young female patient with right shoulder pain and limited range of motion secondary to the intraosseous migration of calcific tendonitis. The patient’s symptoms were resolved after a CT-guided percutaneous bone biopsy of the lesion. Clinical correlation with the aid of imaging and histopathology is a multimodal approach to help diagnose and treat such conditions.