Examinations of the pathology of the rotator cuff.

We performed autopsies on 195 shoulder joints in order to check the differing opinions as to the pathogenesis and incidence of tendinopathia calcarea and rupture of the rotator cuff that have been expressed in literature. There was a rupture rate of 11%. Intratendinous calcific deposits could be observed by radiology in 22% of the cases. The simultaneous presence of intratendinous calcification and rotator cuff rupture could be proved in 13 of 22 cases with a rupture of the rotator cuff. On the basis of our results we conclude that tendinopathia calcarea and rupture of the rotator cuff have an identical pathogenesis.