Normal intracranial calcifications
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Normal intracranial calcifications can be defined as all age-related physiologic and neurodegenerative calcifications that are unaccompanied by any evidence of disease and have no demonstrable pathological cause.
The most common sites include:
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pineal gland
- seen in 2/3 of the adult population and increases with age
- calcification over 1cm in diameter or under nine years old may be suggestive of a neoplasm
-
habenula
- it has a central role in the regulation of the limbic system and is often calcified with a curvilinear pattern a few millimeters anterior to the pineal body in 15% of the adult population
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choroid plexus
- a very common finding, usually in the atrial portions of the lateral ventricles
- calcification in the third or fourth ventricle or patients less than nine years of age is uncommon
-
basal ganglia
- are usually incidental idiopathic findings that have an incidence of ~1% (range 0.3-1.5%) and increases with age
- usually, demonstrate a faint punctuate or a coarse conglomerated symmetrical calcification pattern
- see basal ganglia calcification for specific differential
-
falx, dura mater or tentorium cerebelli
- occur in ~10% of the elderly population
- dural and tentorial calcifications are usually seen in a laminar pattern and can occur anywhere within the cranium
-
petroclinoid ligaments
- common age-related degeneration sites and usually have laminar or mildly nodular patterns
-
superior sagittal sinus
- common age-related degeneration sites and usually have laminar or mildly nodular patterns
- dentate nuclei of cerebellum
- hippocampus
See also
- +<li><a title="Hippocampal calcification" href="/articles/hippocampal-calcification">hippocampus</a></li>