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Association of transverse ligament calcification with anterior atlanto-odontoid osteoarthritis: CT findings.

The craniocervical junction was assessed in 700 consecutive unselected patients undergoing CT of the brain or paranasal sinuses, to investigate whether transverse ligament calcification was associated with advanced degenerative changes at the anterior atlanto-odontoid (AO) joint. Calcific deposits within the transverse ligament were seen in 40 patients (5.7%). The prevalence of this condition increased with age. Advanced degenerative changes (marked osteophytes and obliteration of the joint space) at the anterior AO joint were significantly more frequent in patients with transverse ligament calcification than in age-matched controls. We conclude that transverse ligament calcification is seen frequently in the elderly and very frequently with advanced degenerative changes at the anterior AO joint.

Adult↗

Neurological disorders in 166 patients with basal ganglia calcification: a statistical evaluation.

Patients investigated at our institute during the last decade included 166 (1.2%) who showed uni- or bilateral basal ganglia calcification on computed tomography. We tested the significance of this neuroradiological observation by statistical comparison of these patients' clinical disorders with the findings in a random sample of 622 patients without basal ganglia calcification. The odds for the most common neurological disturbances were similar in patients with and without basal ganglia calcification. After adjustment for differences in age and brain atrophy there was no evidence of a significantly increased risk of dementia (odds ratio 1.1), cerebral infarction (1.4), epilepsy (0.9), vertigo (1.6), headache (1.8), or alcoholism (0.9), which represented the most common diagnoses. We conclude that basal ganglia calcification cannot be considered as a clinically relevant neuroradiological finding in the majority of cases and that it should not be used as an explanation for frequently observed neurological disturbances.

Basal Ganglia Diseases↗

Intracranial calcifications associated with nephrogenic diabetes insipidus.

A 6-year-old boy with nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI) and intracranial calcification is reported. The calcifications were symmetrical and located in the basal ganglia and in the subcortical regions of the frontal, temporal, parietal and occipital lobes. Episodes of hyperosmolality during infancy are considered to be one of the causes of intracranial calcification in NDI. However, other unknown factors may be involved, because up to now there have been no reports of intracranial calcification in patients with central diabetes insipidus.

Brain Diseases↗

Hypertension associated with diffuse small artery calcification: a case report.

Renal ultrasound examination, performed following a urinary tract infection in a 4.5-year-old girl with triple X syndrome, showed multiple echogenic foci at the corticomedullary junction in both kidneys. She was asymptomatic but had hypertension with echocardiographic evidence of left ventricular hypertrophy. Computerised tomographic scan revealed foci of calcification in the kidneys, spleen and pancreas. On biopsy calcification was found in the internal and external elastic laminae of the superficial temporal artery and in the internal elastic lamina of a renal arcuate artery. Intimal fibrosis was mild and focal. No other arterial calcification was demonstrated radiographically or by ultrasound. Biochemical and hormonal profiles revealed no abnormality except hypercalciuria. The aetiology and prognosis of this child's condition are unknown. Although similar ultrasound and histological appearances have been described in pseudoxanthoma elasticum and in idiopathic arterial calcification of infancy, there is no evidence that the child has either of these conditions.

Calcinosis↗

Calcifications of the hip in infants and children. New cases and long-term follow-up.

10 cases of calcification of the peripheral cartilaginous contour of the femoral head in infants are reported. In 7 cases calcification were discovered by chance at a radiological examination done for another purpose. In 3 cases the examination was done for limp or pain in the hip. In this material are included the long term follow-up of the first 4 cases reported by one of us in 1968. The follow-up in our series ranges from a few months to 15 years. The clinical sequelae are minimal at the moment: slight decrease of abduction and internal rotation. The radiological follow-up shows a slow disappearance of calcification, a premature fusion of the physis, a coxa magna, a broadening and shortening of the femoral neck. These residual radiological anomalies, in spite of a good clinical state at the moment, are worrying for future of these hips. The etiology is unknown, but these calcifications are acquired and there are good reasons to think they are iatrogenic, probably secondary to an inadvertent injection into the hip joint at the time of an intravenous femoral infusion of a drug toxic for the hip cartilage. It seems reasonable to avoid the femoral route for intravenous infusion of drugs in newborns and infants.

Calcinosis↗

Calcification of the pancreas in cystic fibrosis.

Using the gastric insufflation method, 5 cases of pancreatic calcification have been detected in a series of 60 patients with cystic fibrosis. All patients were over 5 years of age. Four of them showed a diabetic curve at glucose tolerance test and 2 have recently developed frank diabetes mellitus. The value of gastric distension by gas in the radiological detection of pancreatic calcification and the relatively high frequency of such calcification in cystic fibrosis are emphasized. The pathogenesis of the calcific change and its clinical significance are briefly discussed.

Adult↗

Extensive vascular calcification in a patient with perinatally acquired AIDS.

Extensive vascular calcification in an 8-year-old girl with perinatally acquired AIDS is reported. Complicating factors included cardiomyopathy, chronic lung disease, disseminated Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC), and wasting syndrome with total nutrition dependence. Plain abdominal films and CT of the abdomen immediately prior to her death revealed dense calcification of major vessels. Autopsy revealed calcification in the media of most major vessels typical of HIV arteriopathy. A review of the literature failed to reveal a description of similar vascular calcifications in pediatric AIDS.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗

An unusual case of chromophobe adenoma with conspicuous calcifications.

Abnormal calcification on skull films in the region of the sella turcica is not commonly found with chromophobe adenoma. A patient with such calcification in a verified chromophobe adenoma is presented. From the literature the incidence of calcification in these tumours is reviewed. The importance of considering a chromophobe adenoma in the differential diagnosis of parasellar calcification from the surgical point of view is mentioned.

Adenoma, Chromophobe↗

Familial mitochondrial encephalopathy with fetal ultrasonographic ventriculomegaly and intracerebral calcifications.

In two sibs antenatal ultrasonography revealed identical intracranial calcification, ventricular widening and microcephaly. The first pregnancy was artificially terminated at 19 weeks. Post-mortem examination of the brain revealed destructive calcification and extracerebral neuronal heterotopia. The second sib went to term but died 48 h after birth from irreversible lactic acidosis. Autopsy showed extensive encephalopathy with cavitation and calcification in the cerebral hemispheres, polymicrogyria, multiple neuronal heterotopia, partial callosal dysgenesis, and severe Leigh syndrome, together forming a continuum of early and late brain disruption. Mitochondrial respiratory chain abnormalities, mainly affecting complexes I and IV, and deficiency of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex were detected in skeletal muscle and in liver. A normal functioning of the respiratory chain was found in the fibroblasts. Analysis of mtDNA from muscle, liver and blood revealed normal amounts of intact mtDNA without any of the known point mutations associated with MELAS, MERRF or Leigh syndromes. The early fetal disruption and necrotic changes in the brains of sibs indicate a specific genetically determined disorder which affects neuronal migration, a finding not previously associated with respiratory chain disorders. The present disorder may mimic antenatal congenital infectious encephalopathy because of the combined finding of microcephaly and destructive intracerebral calcification.

Brain↗

Coronary artery calcification in Kawasaki disease.

To evaluate the angiographic features of coronary lesions in Kawasaki disease with coronary artery calcification, cinefluoroscopy and cineangiography were retrospectively reviewed in 116 patients who had undergone coronary angiography between 1982 and 1989. Angiographic abnormalities of coronary arteries were demonstrated in 55 of the 116 patients. In 5 (9.1%) of the 55 patients, 9 with calcification were identified by cinefluoroscopy and chest x-ray. Eight of the 9 calcified lesions showed a circular or ring-shape configuration. Coronary angiography revealed a total occlusion of the right coronary artery with collateral circulation from the distal left coronary artery in 2 patients and a severe stenosis of the right coronary artery in 2 patients, in whom anticoagulant therapy had not been continued during the follow-up periods. The remaining patient in whom anticoagulant therapy had been continued had bilateral aneurysms but no significant stenosis. These results indicate that a ring-shape calcification on chest x-ray in a patient with a history of Kawasaki disease may suggest an involvement by coronary artery stenosis even when anticoagulant drugs had been given. Therefore, coronary angiography should be performed to evaluate the stenotic lesions if this type of calcification is found by routine radiographic examination.

Adolescent↗

Idiopathic infantile arterial calcification: unusual features.

Idiopathic infantile arterial calcification (IIAC) is a rare disease of unknown etiology, which causes widespread arterial calcification and usually leads to early death from coronary arterial occlusion. Periarticular calcification has been reported in some cases. Two new cases are reported. In addition to the usual features of the disease, one was found to have ear-lobe calcification and the other an aortic aneurysm and coarctation of the aorta. Therapy with diphosphonate was apparently successful in one patient.

Arteries↗

Myocardial calcifications in infants with congenital heart disease.

A histopathologic study of six hearts from infants with congenital heart disease and myocardial calcification revealed that foci of calcification were surrounded by normal-appearing myocardial tissue, ischemic myocardial tissue, or both. Inflammatory process, necrotic tissue removal process, and scar formation were not identified in the majority of these subjects. Three congenital heart anomalies are newly reported as associated with myocardial calcifications. The results of this study give evidence that necrotic tissue in the myocardium of some infants tends to become calcified rather than be removed and scarred as occurs in the adult. It also confirms that prenatal cardiac disease and trauma such as surgery might account for the presence of myocardial calcification.

Calcinosis↗

Ectopic calcification in lambs from feeding the plant Cestrum diurnum.

Hypercalcemia and ectopic calcification were induced in 5 lambs by supplementing the diet with the dried leaves of the plant Cestrum diurnum, for 8 to 9 weeks. Lambs developed mineralization of blood vessels, heart, kidneys, and lungs. These tissues were examined by light and electron microscopy. In the vascular tissue there was calcification of elastic fibers in the hyperplastic intima and the media, along with mineralization of mitochondria of aortic smooth muscle cells. Myocardial cells and their mitochondria were mineralized. In the kidney, there was calcification of the epithelium of the distal convoluted tubules and collecting tubules, Bowman's capsule, and the mesangial cells of the glomeruli. In the lung, there was mineralization of the alveolar septal walls and the bronchi and bronchioles. Feeding of the calcinogenic plant to lambs caused extensive soft tissue calcification. Results of the study indicated that degeneration was the early soft tissue lesion in this plant toxicity.

Animals↗

Massive ectopic calcification of the leg following nerve injury.

Four cases showing massive ectopic calcifications in muscles of the lower leg combined with nerve paralysis following war injuries or traffic accident are reported. The development and increase of localized soft tissue calcifications were observed for several years. One case was treated by extirpating the ectopic calcified mass. Several operations were performed because of abnormalities in the feet as a sequel of nerve injury. No clear connection was observed between primary infection or reduced blood supply and development of calcification, although microtrauma of paretic muscle fibers is believed to cause partially induction of massive ectopic calcifications in the cases described.

Adult↗

Pancreatic calcifications in patients with normal pancreatic function.

This is a report on five patients who had acute attacks of pancreatitis (three cases complicated by pseudocysts). They all showed pancreatic calcifications on plain abdominal X-ray (n = 5), computed tomography (n = 3), or at postmortem examination (n = 1). Despite calcifications, the exocrine pancreatic function, as tested with the secretin-pancreozymin test and fecal fat analysis, was either normal or returned to normal. The conclusion is that pancreatic calcifications do not indicate severe exocrine pancreatic insufficiency and the necessity for pancreatic enzyme substitution. Calcifications are not necessarily a sign of chronic pancreatitis. They may result rather from scars following acute pancreatitis.

Acute Disease↗

Unusual tubular calcification of a nephrostomy tract.

Unusual tubular calcification occurred in the nephrostomy tract of a 30-year-old male, 6 months after percutaneous nephrostolithotomy. To our knowledge, this phenomena has not been previously reported. The main radiologic differential diagnoses are focal dystrophic calcification and vascular calcification. The etiology is unknown but may have been related to the patients' tendency to form renal calculi. The temporal sequence of events and the location of the nephrostomy catheter which correlated with the calcification suggests the correct diagnosis.

Adult↗

Does intensity windowing improve the detection of simulated calcifications in dense mammograms?

This study attempts to determine whether intensity windowing (IW) improves detection of simulated calcifications in dense mammograms. Clusters of five simulated calcifications were embedded in dense mammograms digitized at 50-microns pixels, 12 bits deep. Film images with no windowing applied were compared with film images with nine different window widths and levels applied. A simulated cluster was embedded in a realistic background of dense breast tissue, with the position of the cluster varied. The key variables involved in each trial included the position of the cluster, contrast level of the cluster, and the IW settings applied to the image. Combining the ten IW conditions, four contrast levels and four quadrant positions gave 160 combinations. The trials were constructed by pairing 160 combinations of key variables with 160 backgrounds. The entire experiment consisted of 800 trials. Twenty student observers were asked to detect the quadrant of the image in which the mass was located. There was a statistically significant improvement in detection performance for clusters of calcifications when the window width was set at 1024 with a level of 3328, and when the window width was set at 1024 with a level of 3456. The selected IW settings should be tested in the clinic with digital mammograms to determine whether calcification detection performance can be improved.

Breast Neoplasms↗

Extracorporeal shockwave treatment is effective in calcific tendonitis of the shoulder. A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Calcific tendonitis of the shoulder is often associated with chronic pain and impairment of function. Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) is considered to be a treatment option. We compared the effects of two different ESWT regimens. METHODS: 43 patients (57 shoulders) with symptomatic calcific tendonitis of the shoulder for more than six months were included in a double-blinded study. Thirty-one shoulders were treated at the area of maximum pain with application of 2 x 2000 impulses of 0.28 mJ/mm2 at an interval of two weeks (treatment group) and 26 shoulders with 2 x 2000 impulses of < 0.07 mJ/mm2 at an interval of two weeks (control group), without pretreatment analgesia. Shoulder function (Constant score) and pain (visual analogue scale, VAS) were assessed before treatment and at one week, three months and seven months after treatment. Shoulder X-rays were performed at the 3- and 7-month follow-up visits. RESULTS: Improvement in Constant score was significantly higher in the treatment group at all follow-up visits (p < 0.05). Seven months post-treatment, calcifications dissolved completely in 19% of the treatment group and 8% of the control group, and a > 50% reduction was observed in 19% and 8% respectively. With regard to reduction of pain, there was significant improvement in the treatment group compared with the control group at the 1-week follow-up (p < 0.05). However, at the 3-month and 7-month visits, no significant between-group difference in pain could be detected. CONCLUSION: As applied, ESWT with an energy flux density of 0.28 mJ/mm2 led to a significantly greater improvement in shoulder function and a slightly higher, nonsignificant, rate of > 50% disintegration of calcific deposits compared with the control group. However, this did not result in reduction of pain.

Activities of Daily Living↗