Basal ganglia calcification: a Fahr's disease case report

Abstract

Idiopathic basal ganglia calcification (IBGC), known as Fahr's disease, is a rare neurological disorder characterized by metabolic, biochemical, neuroradiological and neuropsychiatric alterations caused by symmetrical and bilateral intracranial calcifications. The disease has, in most cases, an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance and genetic heterogeneity. Overlap of neuropsychiatric symptoms is common with movement disorders accounted for 55% of the manifestation. Here we present the case of a 58-year-old woman, presenting to the emergency department because of an accidental fall. Her past medical history was unremarkable and she denied any neurological symptoms a part from insomnia and anxiety. Patient was sent to the emergency department to perform a Brain Computed Tomography (CT) exam that showed bilateral symmetrical calcifications in cerebellar white matter, the corpus striatum, the posterior thalami, and the centrum semiovale of both cerebral hemispheres. Beeing a case of IBGC without relevant symptoms, diagnosis was mainly obtained thanks to the characteristics features of CT examination.

Keywords

• Fahr disease
• Idiopatic Basal Ganglia Calcification
• Computed Tomography
• neuroradiology