Romanian Neurosurgery (Sep 2023)
Post-irradiation bilateral basal ganglia calcification in a patient with cerebral metastasis
Abstract
Background: Basal Ganglia calcification is now being diagnosed with increasing frequency with the widespread application of computed tomography (CT) scan in clinical practice. One of the rare causes of bilateral basal ganglia calcification is post-irradiation sequelae. So far, there are a total of 11 reported cases of post-radiotherapy basal ganglia calcification. Case report: Here, we report another case of bilateral basal ganglia calcification following radiotherapy for cerebral metastasis from Ca- ovary along with a review of the other reported cases. The exact pathogenesis of this condition is not clear. It appears, however, to be related to radiation vasculitis of the small vessels of the brain with resultant hyalinization and calcification. Conclusions: A long-term follow-up study would be necessary to evaluate the significance and implication of post-irradiation calcification of the grey matter.