title: Six different extremely calcified lesions of the brain: brain stones.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study aimed to extend clinical documentation of cerebral calculi by reporting six cases of cerebral calculi with distinct etiologies and localizations.
  
  
  METHODS
  We evaluated the age, sex distribution, presenting symptoms, neurological examination findings, pathology results, and location of the calcifications of six patients with intracranial calcifications.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three of the six patients with brain stones were female (50%), and three were male (50%). The patient ages ranged from 12 to 46 years. A radiological examination of each patient's cranium was performed with pre-operative cranial computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. All of the lesions were completely excised. The patients' pathologies were determined to be distinct hyalinization, dystrophic calcification, hamartoma, ossification developing from widespread pituitary adenoma tissue, benign mesenchymal neoplasia, a mass consisting of sporadically ossified fibrous tissue, and angiomatous meningioma with distinct hyalinization and fibrosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Intracranial calcifications are a common phenomenon in neurosurgical practice. However, brain stones, as well as solid calcifications also termed cerebral calculi, are rarely encountered. Brain stones can be classified on the basis of their etiology and localization. Additionally, we suggest that lesions smaller than 1 cm might be classified as calcifications and those greater than 1 cm as brain stones. We further suggest that the differentiation between calcification and brain stones might be based on size. These pathologies typically manifest as seizures and are occasionally identified during routine brain tomography. Meningiomas constitute an important portion of extra-axial calcifications, whereas tumorous and vascular causes are more prevalent among intra-axial calcifications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Adana Numune Training and Research Hospital, Serinevler Mah, Ege Bağatur Bulvarı, 01260 Yüreğir, Adana, Turkey.
authors.forename: Yurdal
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gezercan
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Adana Numune Training and Research Hospital, Serinevler Mah, Ege Bağatur Bulvarı, 01260 Yüreğir, Adana, Turkey.
authors.forename: Vedat
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Acik
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Adana Numune Training and Research Hospital, Serinevler Mah, Ege Bağatur Bulvarı, 01260 Yüreğir, Adana, Turkey.
authors.forename: Gökhan
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-7078-2501
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Çavuş
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Adana Numune Training and Research Hospital, Serinevler Mah, Ege Bağatur Bulvarı, 01260 Yüreğir, Adana, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ali Ihsan
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Ökten
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Adana Numune Training and Research Hospital, Serinevler Mah, Ege Bağatur Bulvarı, 01260 Yüreğir, Adana, Turkey.
authors.forename: Emre
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bilgin
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Adana Numune Training and Research Hospital, Serinevler Mah, Ege Bağatur Bulvarı, 01260 Yüreğir, Adana, Turkey.
authors.forename: Hakan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Millet
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Adana Numune Training and Research Hospital, Serinevler Mah, Ege Bağatur Bulvarı, 01260 Yüreğir, Adana, Turkey.
authors.forename: Burak
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Olmaz
keywords: Aneurysm; Angiomatous meningioma; Benign mesenchymal neoplasm; Cerebral calculi; Hamartoma; Pituitary stone