What is the evidence for EDTA in the treatment of subacromial impingement syndrome?
Summary
Patient Population:
A single study was identified; n=80. All participants diagnosed with calcific tendinitis.
Intervention:
Disodium ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) once a week for 3 weeks + 15 minutes pulsed US (1MHz) using 15% solution EDTA gel 5X/week for 3 weeks.
Comparison:
It appears that they included 3 reviews and an additional 5 RCTs that did not appear in any of those 3 reviews. From within the identified reviews, they included information from 11, 9 and 7 trials. Tables are provided reporting the information abstracted from each trial in the categories corresponding to where they were found.
Outcome:
- EDTA + Ultrasound (EDTA gel) vs. placebo: Treatment was associated with significant improvements (vs. placebo) in pain and on the Constant-Murley score at 1-week and 1-year follow-up. Following treatment, less calcification was reported in the treatment group vs. placebo.
- Level of Evidence: The authors reported MODERATE evidence for the effectiveness of EDTA + ultrasound (with EDTA gel) vs. placebo in individuals with calcific tendinitis.