title: Paraspinal cervical calcifications associated with scleroderma.
abstract: Although soft tissue calcifications are well known to occur as a late manifestation in scleroderma, symptomatic paraspinal calcinosis is very rare. Clinically, patients present with focal neck pain, weakness or radiculopathy, and decreased range of motion of the neck. We describe the imaging features of a rare case of cervical paraspinal calcinosis in a 74-year-old woman with long-standing scleroderma. Standard radiography is usually sufficient to confirm the diagnosis, but CT-scan allows a more precise location of the calcifications around the facet joints, sometimes with associated erosions. The advantage of MRI is to evaluate the possible intraspinal extension of the calcifications in case of focal neurological symptomatology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University Hospital Antwerp, Wilrijkstraat 10, B-2650 Edegem, Belgium.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Van de Perre
authors.forename: F M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Vanhoenacker
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Op de Beeck
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Gielen
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: De Schepper
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019547:Neck Pain / Q000209:etiology; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D013117:Spinal Cord Compression / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed