Cone-beam CT evaluation of intracranial physiological calcifications by age and gender

Objective: To assess the prevalence of physiological intracranial calcifications detected in cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images in a group of Turkish population by age and gender. Methods: Full head CBCT images of 1000 patients (535 men, 465 women) with age range of 6-91 years were retrospectively analyzed. The presence of habenular, pineal gland, coroid plexus, petroclinoid ligament, interclinoid ligament, carotico-clinoid ligament, falx cerebri, tentorium cerebelli and basal ganglia calcifications were investigated by age groups and gender. Mann Whitney U test was used to calculate the calcification frequency by mean age and χ2 test was used for gender. Results: CBCT examination of 1000 cases aged between 6 and 91 were evaluated in six groups respectively; ages under 19 (13.3%), age 20- 29 (14.8%), age 30-39 (11.9%), age 40-49 (19.3%), age 50-59 (20.9%) ages over 60 (19.8%). Habenular calcification was the most common calcification with a rate of 69%. Only petroclinoid ligament calcification was significantly higher in men (p< .001). Statistically significant relationship was found between age groups and calcifications of habenular, pineal gland, choroid plexus, petroclinoid ligament, interclinoid ligament, caroticoclinoid ligament (p< .001). Conclusion: Habenular calcification was the most common type of intracranial calcification in all age groups. As the probability of calcification increases with aging, an increase in the association of calcifications was observed. Physiological intracranial calcifications may be an incidental finding frequently encountered in CBCT examinations.