[The roentgenmorphologic aspects of symptomatic calcifications in patients with calcifying tendinitis of the shoulder: determination of intra- and interobserver variabilities of Gärtner's classification].

AIM OF THE STUDY: The roentgenologic morphology of symptomatic calcified deposits of the rotator cuff can be classified according Gärtner. This classification influences therapeutic procedures and prognosis of clinical outcome in these patients. In the present study intraoberserver-reproducibility and interobserver-reliability of Gärtner's classification were tested.

METHODS: Plane radiographs of 100 patients with calcifications of the supraspinatus tendon were classified according the criteria of Gärtner by 6 independent observers twice within 4 months. Intraoberserver-reproducibility and interobserver-reliability were calculated by means of Cohen's kappa-index.

RESULTS: kappa-values of intraoberserver-reproducibility had a mean of 0.4208 (SD 0.1299), kappa-values of interobserver-reliability were 0.490 for the first and 0.474 for the second classification.

CONCLUSIONS: Determination of intraoberserver-reproducibility gave insufficient to satisfactory results, interobserver-reliability was sufficient. The clinical use of Gärtner's classification to plan therapeutic procedures or to determine clinical prognosis in patients with calcifying tendinitis can be recommended only with limitations.