Evaluation of the Incidental Prevalence of Soft Tissue Calcifications in the Neck Region with Cone Beam Computed Tomography

Year 2023, Volume: 13 Issue: 2, 362 - 369, 15.06.2023

Nebiha Gözde İspir , İlkay Peker , Meryem Toraman Alkurt

https://doi.org/10.33808/clinexphealthsci.1119222

Cited By: 1

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to retrospectively evaluate the incidental prevalence of heterotopic soft tissue calcifications in the neck region, on Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) images, and their relationship with age and sex.
Methods: A total of 6620 CBCT images were examined. CBCT images of 503 patients aged between 20 and 86 years were included in the study. Patients were grouped into five age groups: 20-30 (N = 132), 31-40 (N = 68), 41-50 (N = 92), 51-60 (N = 104), and 61 and above (N = 107). The images were assessed according to the presence of lymph node calcification, carotid artery calcification, thyroid cartilage, and triticeous cartilage calcification in the neck region. Descriptive statistics, crosstabs, and chi-square tests were used for data analysis. The significance level was set to 0.05
Results: At least one calcification was detected in 372 (73.9%) patients. The difference between the prevalence of each calcification according to age groups was statistically significant. A significant relationship was found between the presence of carotid artery calcification and the sex variable (p< .05). The presence of other calcifications did not show statistically significant differences associated with sex (p> .05).
Conclusion: The results of this study showed a significant amount of soft tissue calcification in the neck region. The most common calcifications were thyroid cartilage calcifications, and the least common calcification was lymph node calcification.

Keywords

Soft tissue, calcification, neck, Cone Beam Computed Tomography

References

• Üçok Ö, Toraman Alkurt M, Peker İ, Özdede M. Maksillofasiyal bölgede görülen heterotopik kalsifikasyonlar ve ossifikasyonlar. Özcan İ, editör. Diş hekimliğinde radyolojinin esasları/konvansiyonelden-dijitale. 1. Baskı. İstanbul Tıp Kitabevi;2017. p. 759-778. (Turkish)
• Avsever H, Orhan Kaan. Çene kemiği ve çevre dokuları etkileyen kalsifikasyonlar. Turkiye Klinikleri Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology-Special Topics. 2018;4(1):43-52. (Turkish)
• Keberle M, Robinson S. Physiologic and pathologic calcifications and ossifications in the face and neck. Eur Radiol. 2007; 17(8):2103-2111.
• Ozdede M, Kayadugun A, Ucok, O, Altunkaynak, B, Peker, I. The assessment of maxillofacial soft tissue and intracranial calcifications via cone-beam computed tomography. Current Medical Imaging. 2018;14(5):798-806.
• Jashari F, Ibrahimi P, Johansson E, Ahlqvist J, Arnerlöv C, Garoff M, Jäghagen EL, Wester P, Henein MY. Atherosclerotic calcification detection: A comparative study of carotid ultrasound and cone beam CT. Int J Mol Sci. 2015;21;16(8):19978-19988.
• Nandita S, Junaid A, Kn S, Ns S, Santhosh R, Muralidhar Y. Prevalence of laryngeal cartilage calcifications in Mangalore population; a radiographic study. Online Journal of Otolaryngology. 2014;4(4):74-?.
• Heiland M, Pohlenz P, Blessmann M, Habermann CR, Oesterhelweg L, Begemann PC, Schmidgunst C, Blake FA, Püschel K, Schmelzle R, Schulze D. Cervical soft tissue imaging using a mobile cbct scanner with a flat panel detector in comparison with corresponding ct and mri data sets. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod. 2007;104(6):814-820.
• Missias EM, Nascimento E, Pontual M, Pontual AA, Freitas DQ, Perez D, Ramos-Perez F. Prevalence of soft tissue calcifications in the maxillofacial region detected by cone beam ct. Oral Dis. 2018;24(4):628-637.
• Damaskos S, Tsiklakis K, Syriopoulos K, van der Stelt P. Extra- and intra-cranial arterial calcifications in adults depicted as incidental findings on cone beam ct images. Acta Odontol Scand. 2015;73(3):202-209.
• Pette GA, Norkin FJ, Ganeles J, Hardigan P, Lask E, Zfaz S, Parker W. Incidental findings from a retrospective study of 318 cone beam computed tomography consultation reports. Int J Oral Maxillofac Implants. 2012;27(3):595-603.
• Price JB, Thaw KL, Tyndall DA, Ludlow JB, Padilla RJ. Incidental findings from cone beam computed tomography of the maxillofacial region: a descriptive retrospective study. Clin Oral Implants Res. 2012;23(11):1261-1268.
• Damaskos S, Aartman IH, Tsiklakis K, van der Stelt P, Berkhout WE. Association between extra- and intracranial calcifications of the internal carotid artery: a cbct imaging study. Dentomaxillofac Radiol. 2015;44(5):20140432.
• Allareddy V, Vincent SD, Hellstein JW, Qian F, Smoker WR, Ruprecht A. Incidental findings on cone beam computed tomography images. Int J Dent. 2012;2012:871532.
• Rheem S, Nielsen IL, Oberoi S. Incidental findings in the maxillofacial region identified on cone-beam computed tomography scans. Journal of Orthodontic Research. 2013;1(1):33.
• Scarfe WC, Farman AG. Soft tissue calcifications in the neck: Maxillofacial cbct presentation and significance. Australas Dental Pract. 2008;19:102–108.
• MacDonald D, Chan A, Harris A, Vertinsky T, Farman AG, Scarfe WC. Diagnosis and management of calcified carotid artery atheroma: dental perspectives. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol. 2012;114(4):533-547.
• Edwards R, Altalibi M, Flores-Mir C. The frequency and nature of incidental findings in cone-beam computed tomographic scans of the head and neck region: a systematic review. J Am Dent Assoc. 2013;144(2):161-170.
• Barghan S, Tahmasbi Arashlow M, Nair MK. Incidental findings on cone beam computed tomography studies outside of the maxillofacial skeleton. Int J Dent. 2016;2016:9196503.
• Eisenkraft B, Som P. The spectrum of benign and malignant etiologies of cervical node calcification. AJR American journal of roentgenology. 1999;172(5):1433-1437.
• Gormly K, Glastonbury CM. Calcified nodal metastasis from squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Australas Radiol. 2004;48(2):240-242.
• Hubar JS. Carotid artery calcification in the black population: a retrospective study on panoramic radiographs. Dentomaxillofac Radiol. 1999;28(6):348-350.
• Garay I, Netto HD, Olate S. Soft tissue calcified in mandibular angle area observed by means of panoramic radiography. Int J Clin Exp Med. 2014;15;7(1):51-56.
• Griniatsos J, Damaskos S, Tsekouras N, Klonaris C, Georgopoulos S. Correlation of calcified carotid plaques detected by panoramic radiograph with risk factors for stroke development. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod. 2009;108(4):600-603.
• Adams GJ, Simoni DM, Bordelon CB Jr, Vick GW 3rd, Kimball KT, Insull W Jr, Morrisett JD. Bilateral symmetry of human carotid artery atherosclerosis. Stroke. 2002;33(11):2575-2580.
• Togan B, Gander T, Lanzer M, Martin R, Lübbers HT. Incidence and frequency of nondental incidental findings on cone-beam computed tomography. J Craniomaxillofac Surg. 2016;44(9):1373-1380.
• Çağırankaya LB, Akkaya N, Akçiçek G, Boyacıoğlu Doğru H. Is the diagnosis of calcified laryngeal cartilages on panoramic radiographs possible? Imaging Sci Dent. 2018;48(2):121-125.
• Mupparapu M, Vuppalapati A. Ossification of laryngeal cartilages on lateral cephalometric radiographs. Angle Orthod. 2005;75(2):196-201.
• Aramaki T, Ikeda T, Usui A, Funayama M. Age estimation by ossification of thyroid cartilage of Japanese males using Bayesian analysis of postmortem ct images. Leg Med (Tokyo). 2017;25:29-35.
• Alqahtani E, Marrero DE, Champion WL, Alawaji A, Kousoubris PD, Small JE. Triticeous cartilage ct imaging characteristics, prevalence, extent, and distribution of ossification. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2016;154(1):131-137.
• Hatley W, Samuel E, Evison G. The pattern of ossification in the laryngeal cartilages: A radiological study. Br J Radiol. 1965;38:585-591.
• Ahmad M, Madden R, Perez L. Triticeous cartilage: Prevalence on panoramic radiographs and diagnostic criteria. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod. 2005;99(2):225-230.
• Aoun G, Nasseh I. Calcified Triticeous cartilage detected on digital panoramic radiographs in a sample of Lebanese population. J Clin Imaging Sci. 2018;18;8:16.