Cone Beam Computed Tomographic Evaluation of Intracranial Physiologic Calcifications

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the incidence of physiologic intracranial calcifications detected in cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images of a Turkish subpopulation. METHODS: The CBCT image of the full head of 573 patients taken between 2015 and 2018 was evaluated retrospectively. The prevalence of habenular calcification, petroclinoid ligament, coroid plexus, interclinoid ligament (ICL), and carotico-clinoid ligament (CCL) calcifications was investigated. The age and gender of the patients were recorded. RESULTS: Intracranial calcification was found in 190 (33.1%) of 573 cases. The frequency of physiological calcifications is respectively; 19.2% were found as habenular, 4.88% as ICL, 3.83% as CCL, 2.7% as petroclinoid ligament, and 2.4% as choroid plexus. 38.2% of the women and 29.3% of the men had intracranial calcification. In 4 patients, both ICL and CCL ossification were detected. No statistically significant relationship was found between age, gender, and calcifications. CONCLUSION: Cone beam computed tomography is a widely used imaging technique for dental diagnosis and treatment. Intracranial physiological calcifications may be a common incidental finding of CBCT scans.