title: Bilateral tonsilloliths and calcified carotid atheromas: case report and literature review.
abstract: Tonsilloliths and calcified carotid atheromas are dystrophic calcifications that can be identified in routine oral radiographs. This case report is the first description in the English literature of the simultaneous occurrence of bilateral tonsilloliths and calcified carotid atheromas. Panoramic oral radiographs from a 62-year-old woman presented bilateral radiopaque images of the left and right ramus of the mandible; multiple and well-defined radiopacities below the left angle of the mandible, next to the C3-C4 cervical vertebrae; and a single radiopacity on the right side between the hyoid bone and the mandible base. Computed tomography confirmed the exact location of the calcifications in the oropharyngeal and carotid spaces. A diagnosis of bilateral tonsilloliths and calcified carotid atheromas was reached. Doppler ultrasound indicated a degree of stenosis of ± 20% within the right and left carotids. The patient was referred to a vascular surgeon to evaluate the calcified carotid atheromas. Follow-up of the tonsilloliths was also performed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Pathology and Surgery, School of Dentistry, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos 6627, Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. cnao20@yahoo.com.br
authors.forename: Camila de Nazaré Alves
authors.initials: Cde N
authors.lastname: de Oliveira
authors.forename: Tania Mara Pimenta
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Amaral
authors.forename: Evandro Neves
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Abdo
authors.forename: Ricardo Alves
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Mesquita
mesh_terms: D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006928:Hyoid Bone / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D020347:Lithiasis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008334:Mandible / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D014066:Palatine Tonsil / Q000473:pathology*; D010608:Pharyngeal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D058226:Plaque, Atherosclerotic / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011862:Radiography, Panoramic; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler; D061205:Vascular Calcification / Q000175:diagnosis*