TY - JOUR
T1 - Histology and computed tomography of incidental calcifications in the human basal ganglia
AU - de Brouwer, Esther J.M.
AU - de Jong, Pim A.
AU - De Jonghe, Annemarieke
AU - Emmelot-Vonk, Marielle H.
AU - Koek, Huiberdina L.
AU - Dankbaar, Jan Willem
AU - Mohamed Hoesein, Firdaus A.A.
AU - Van Hecke, Wim
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, The Author(s).
PY - 2021/7
Y1 - 2021/7
N2 - Incidental basal ganglia calcifications are a common finding on computed tomography (CT). We investigated the histological characteristics of these calcifications and their association with CT findings, using post-mortem basal ganglia tissue from 22 patients. Eight patients had basal ganglia calcifications on histology, and six patients had calcifications on CT, varying from mild to severe. Four patients had calcifications identified by both histology and CT, and two patients had calcifications detected by CT but not by histology, possibly because of insufficient tissue available. Calcifications were found mainly in the tunica media of arterioles located in the globus pallidus, which suggests that incidental CT calcifications are vascular in nature. However, tunica media calcifications, and thereby incidental basal ganglia calcifications, are probably not related to atherosclerosis.
AB - Incidental basal ganglia calcifications are a common finding on computed tomography (CT). We investigated the histological characteristics of these calcifications and their association with CT findings, using post-mortem basal ganglia tissue from 22 patients. Eight patients had basal ganglia calcifications on histology, and six patients had calcifications on CT, varying from mild to severe. Four patients had calcifications identified by both histology and CT, and two patients had calcifications detected by CT but not by histology, possibly because of insufficient tissue available. Calcifications were found mainly in the tunica media of arterioles located in the globus pallidus, which suggests that incidental CT calcifications are vascular in nature. However, tunica media calcifications, and thereby incidental basal ganglia calcifications, are probably not related to atherosclerosis.
KW - Basal ganglia
KW - Calcification
KW - CT scan
KW - Pathology
KW - Globus Pallidus
KW - Basal Ganglia Diseases/diagnostic imaging
KW - Calcinosis/diagnostic imaging
KW - Humans
KW - Tomography, X-Ray Computed
KW - Basal Ganglia/diagnostic imaging
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85102798244&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s00234-021-02680-4
DO - 10.1007/s00234-021-02680-4
M3 - Article
C2 - 33745004
AN - SCOPUS:85102798244
SN - 0028-3940
VL - 63
SP - 1145
EP - 1148
JO - Neuroradiology
JF - Neuroradiology
IS - 7
ER -