title: Diffuse hepatic calcifications in a transfusion-dependent patient with Beta-thalassemia: a case report.
abstract: Hepatic calcification is usually associated with infectious, vascular, or neoplastic processes in the liver. We report the first case of beta-thalassemia major with isolated diffuse hepatic calcification in a 23 year old woman, who had been transfusion-dependent since the age of 6 months. She was referred to our center with a chief complaint of abdominal pain. Computed tomography scan of the abdomen revealed diffuse hepatic calcification in the right, left, and caudate lobes of the liver. Her medical history disclosed hypoparathyroidism as well as chronic hepatitis C virus infection, which was successfully treated but led to early micronodular cirrhosis on liver biopsy. Other studies done to search for the cause of hepatic calcification failed to reveal any abnormalities. We suspect that hypoparathyroidism caused liver calcification, and should be, therefore, considered in the differential diagnosis of hepatic calcification if other causative factors have been ruled out.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Endocrinology, Student Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran;
authors.forename: Forough
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Saki
authors.forename: Mohammad Reza
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Bordbar
authors.forename: Mohammad Hadi
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Imanieh
authors.forename: Mehran
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karimi
keywords: Beta-Thalassemia major; Calcification; Hepatic; Hypoparathyroidism