title: [Basal ganglia calcification on computed tomography: clinical characteristics in 25 patients].
abstract: Twenty-five patients presenting basal ganglia calcification were assessed. This finding comprised 0.68% of all skull CT scan carried out during the period. Two patients were neurologically asymptomatic and 23 presented a variety neurological disorders--headache (7 patients), stroke (5 patients), extrapyramidal syndromes (2 patients), tumor (2 patients), epilepsy (1 patient), mental retardation (1 patient), dementia (1 patient), cranial trauma (1 patient), other neurological conditions (3 patients)--or were asymptomatic from the neurological point of view (2 patients). Findings in the CT scan other than the basal ganglia calcification were observed in 15 (60%) patients. There was a clinical-CT scan correlation in these cases but not in those in which the basal ganglia calcification was an isolated finding. This study highlights the fact that basal ganglia calcification is often a nonspecific finding on CT scan and that it may not be possible to establish a clinical-pathological correlation between them.
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Medicina, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil. gmtedrus@uol.com.br
authors.forename: Glória Maria A S
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Tedrus
authors.forename: Lineu Corrêa
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Fonseca
authors.forename: Elizardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nogueira
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001479:Basal Ganglia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D001480:Basal Ganglia Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017678:Sex Distribution; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed