Intracerebral calcification in systemic sclerosis.
OBJECTIVE
Advanced cerebrovascular wall calcification was recently observed at autopsy in 2 patients with systemic sclerosis. To further investigate this issue, we conducted a prospective CT study of scleroderma patients to detect intracerebral calcification.


METHODS
Thirty-seven consecutive patients with systemic sclerosis underwent unenhanced brain CT. Images were blindly interpreted, together with those of 2 age-matched (+/-1 year) and sex-matched control subjects per patient.


RESULTS
Intracerebral calcification was found in 12 patients (32.4%) and 7 controls (9.5%) (P=0.006). Among the patients, intracerebral calcification was associated with the duration of Raynaud's phenomenon (P=0.005) and not with age (P=0.086).


CONCLUSIONS
Intracerebral calcification is closely associated with scleroderma, which suggests that scleroderma causes primary cerebrovascular changes.
Heron
E
E
Service de Médecine Vasculaire and Centre Claude Bernard de Recherche sur les Maladies Vasculaires Périphériques, Paris Cedex, France. emmanuel.heron@brs.ap-hop-paris.fr
Hernigou
A
A
Chatellier
G
G
Fornes
P
P
Emmerich
J
J
Fiessinger
J N
JN
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002114:Calcinosis; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed