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        New Message Board Archives >> 2005 Cluster Headache Specific Posts >> Calcification on head CT
        
(Message started by: catlind on Mar 28^th, 2005, 11:08pm)

Title: Calcification on head CT
Post by catlind on Mar 28^th, 2005, 11:08pm

Ok, I'm wondering if anyone can give me some insight or idea about what this means.

I had a CT scan done a couple days ago and it showed calcification on the right side, temple region. That's all the info I have at this time. I had a temporal artery biopsy on the right side (which is my cluster side) a few years ago but it was negative.

Does anyone know anything about what calcification on a head ct might mean?? The only things I can find online are things like glioma's and strokes and temporal arteritis. TA has been ruled out, and last spring when they thought I had a stroke, the MRA came back negative and no MRI's or CT's until now have shown anything.

Cat

Title: Re: Calcification on head CT
Post by Lizzie2 on Mar 28^th, 2005, 11:53pm

Cat,

I can ask around or dig around with our online databases if you want. I don't know what it means, but...do they plan to do further studies? I'd at least be interested, personally, in seeing what a second CT would show - or even an MRI just to get a different type of study done and see what sort of thing it shows.

I need a book on CTs. When I had the anticholinergic crisis from the mexiletine back in January, they did a CT while I was unresponsive....or some such nonsense. I don't remember the CT, but I do have the films...so I know it existed! The report says, "mild volume loss evident."

My roommate said, "Nice! Your brain is shrinking!"

I told her I guess that's why I become more and more stupid and have more and more memory loss by the day!

However...I have yet to find out what exactly "mild volume loss" on a CT really means!

Curiosity...

Hope that you get yours figured out and it is nothing serious!

Hugz,
Lizzie :)

Title: Re: Calcification on head CT
Post by sweetiepie on Mar 29^th, 2005, 1:54pm

My hubby also had biopsy on temporal nerve which showed calcification - u could actually see it in the middle of the artery, hence the term, "medial calcification" in his case. Calcification is another term for hardening, specifically, hardening of calcium deposits. The doc wasn't worried as the temporal artery supplies blood to the scalp & he's already bald Wink! (don't know how to add smiley faces in my format). I suppose they need to tell U how extensive the calcification is, and if it's arterial or if it's parenchymal (the actual brain matter) or what. My husband has both, which showed up on the MRI. They will do another MRI at an interval of a year or two. His is in a few small patches on his skull; they will watch it to see if the patches become large and/or spread over large areas, which can signal loss of memory.
One possible way to stop the spread is to follow Dean Ornish's recommendations of 10% fat limit in the diet. (he's not going to do that, it's not realistic at age 70). Another way is to create neurogenesis in the brain (new cell growth), hopefully by learning new skills--a language, dancing (very good), reading new material and reading new types of material, a new hobby that incorporates new social contacts, taking a new class, etc. in other words, don't become a couch potato. Hubby has chosen to upgrade his spatial skills and has become skilled in this type of computer game, which naturally gets increasingly difficult. Didn't mean to run on like this, but hope I've been some help. Strange how this website reaches out to
so many! (My DIL has CH).

Title: Re: Calcification on head CT
Post by catlind on Mar 29^th, 2005, 6:04pm

Well from what I understand, the calcification is on the brain itself and not the artery, the biopsy came back completely clean (about 3 years since that was done).

However, the CT report also says probable pituitary fossa cyst.

Now, when things kicked up with these damn things back in 2000, there was no evidence of a cyst on the CT or MRI. There was CSF in the fossa but no indication of cyst and was deemed incidental.

Lizzie, any info you can give me would be appreciated. My neuro here doesn't want to handle things, and I haven't been able to talk to my doc yet, but the military docs tend to be of no use in the realm of neurology.

I hate that things have gone full circle from where they started 5 years ago.

On the upside of things, I might just have a brain tumor and not CH afterall! ;)

Cat

Title: Re: Calcification on head CT
Post by Bob P on Mar 29^th, 2005, 6:12pm

I've been called a bonehead before. Could be the same thing.

Title: Re: Calcification on head CT
Post by Lizzie2 on Mar 31^st, 2005, 1:20pm

Cat,

I didn't forget, but sometimes it's hard to find info about the scans. I've been trying to get info about my scans relating to head and also AVN in my knees for some time, and the info isn't always very easy to come by!

At any rate...are you positive it isn't in a vessel? So far, I've found some info about calcification in a few different vessels that can either be due to coronary artery disease (CAD)...especially in someone who may have had a heart attack related to CAD. Also strokes can come about from calcifications if they are plaques in the vessels of the brain.

But...if it's not in the vessel, then I'm not finding as much info. But I will continue to look around!!!

Now...as far as the pituitary cyst. By no means am I suggesting not to worry about it, but on my first MRI back in 2001 when I first got the chronic migraine, they told me I had a pituitary cyst. My family doctor said that many radiologists diagnose these and they serve as a sort of "red herring" -- often there is nothing but the radiologist wants to cover all their bases.

I'm not at all saying that's the case with yours, but I would persist in asking about it and see if they really feel a pituitary cyst could be causing some actual problems or if t hey think it was something the radiologist just pointed out.

Any specifics I can keep looking up? Hopefully it helps even a little!

Lizzie :)

Title: Re: Calcification on head CT
Post by catlind on Mar 31^st, 2005, 5:16pm

Thanks Lizzie, I appreciate it. As for the calcification I am not sure if it's vascular or on the brain itself. If it's vascular then I may have to ask about the double vision, numbness, memory loss etc. that happened last spring. They initially suspected stroke or TIA, but MRA showed nothing.

I am scheduled for an MRI on the 14th and will go from there, but the concern over the pituitary cyst is that it's a change from the original scans that showed intrasellar cisternal herniation - empty sella. I've been told they are related and may end up being the same thing, but if the empty sella has changed to a cyst then it's something that will need to be addressed as that shows it's changing/growing. As well the visual disturbances are what is concerning them rather than the actual headaches.

I suppose I'll know more after the MRI, but as of right now I was told I should follow this up with a neurosurgeon. I'll have to go through my neuro here first and I'll see what he has to say after I get the MRI.

Hopefully it is nothing, the thought of brain surgery isn't appealing!

Cat

Title: Re: Calcification on head CT
Post by Lizzie2 on Mar 31^st, 2005, 6:09pm

Hey if ya do need brain surgery, I'm not sure if the guy I saw does neurosurgery outside of functional neurosurgery for pain, but he was one of the best doctors I've ever met in my life. We have quite a few great ones up here at Jefferson Hospital for Neurosciences, and I would have no problem getting you info or a recommendation if need be. But let's hope you don't need that route!!!

Now...did they rule out Basilar or Hemiplegic Migraine? The only reason I say this is because on Tuesday night when I was doing clinical in the ER, I felt very much like I was having a stroke. It was so scary. I had vertigo, lost vision, confusion, memory loss of a certain time frame, decreased level of consciousness...basically if my friends hadn't been around and if I hadn't been working as a student IN the ER, they would have probably sat me down as drunk or high.

I had a CT done sometime very early Wednesday morning which was normal. My last brain CT was in January and that one was normal except for that whole "mild volume loss evident" comment. However, they didn't seem concerned about it.

I now have to go for an MRI/MRA this Tuesday at noon because of the symptoms I had. Basically, my neuro and the neuro resident I saw in the ER feel that I had a basilar migraine and that I've probably actually had them prior to now but they haven't been picked up. The only way to diagnose Basilar Migraine is to rule out conditions that can mimic it and then go by symptoms. The only way to rule out similar, but more serious conditions is via MRI/A...and if those are negative, then I assume that my neuro will feel the diagnosis of Basilar Migraine is confirmed.

From what I read last night, the only difference between Basilar Migraine and Hemiplegic Migraine is that with Basilar Migraine you have more sensory neuro changes, but as soon as you have one-sided weakness...it becomes a diagnosis of hemiplegic migraine.

You may have looked into all of this already, so I'm sorry if I'm repeating stuff you already know...it just struck me because I felt like I was totally having a stroke the other night, but I *knew* I wasn't at the same time...it was very strange. I didn't have a really bad headache until the dizziness stopped...apparently it was about a 2 hour long aura in the brain stem.

Here's a really great link just in case you haven't had a chance to just read about Basilar Migraine to rule it out:

http://tinyurl.com/6j6db

I hope some of this helps, and I'll keep digging to see if I can find any info specifically on calcification in the brain that is NOT in a blood vessel. We'll see what I can find anyhow!!

Hang in there....I feel your frustration...

Lizzie :)

Title: Re: Calcification on head CT
Post by Lizzie2 on Apr 11^th, 2005, 11:48pm

Cat,

Didn't forget about your questions -- just in the middle of 12 days straight without a break.

Tonight while I was working in the ER, I ran up to radiology to get a printout of the results of my MRI/MRA.

Turns out that this current film is also showing a 5mm pituitary cyst that could possibly be a pituitary adenoma of some sort...unable to rule it out at any rate, and further testing is necessary.

Lovely.

I know what I said about the one on the first scan, but I haven't had it show up on any other scans until now.

I went over it with an ER attending and a neuro resident. The resident told me that I'd have hormonal changes if the cyst was present. I told her that I haven't had my period since 2/7/05 and I'm not pregnant and asked her if that counted! She said...yeah it's something to look into once I drop the results off to my neuro and get his take on the whole thing.

Blasted! I hate this crap so much..

At any rate, I'll post again when I have more answers for all of us.

Hugz,
Lizzie

Title: Re: Calcification on head CT
Post by bigAl on Apr 12^th, 2005, 8:32pm

on 03/29/05 at 18:12:23, Bob P wrote:

I've been called a bonehead before. Could be the same thing.

Bob, this is a bonehead:

http://www.internetweekly.org/images/bush_bonehead.jpg

Title: Re: Calcification on head CT
Post by catlind on Apr 13^th, 2005, 7:32am

LOL hormonal changes huh? I think I fit into that category just a little bit. And here I thought it was age.

Can't do anything about it until after the MRI tomorrow anyway. Then have to wait til Monday to talk to the doc about it then wait for the referral over to the neuro etc. etc. Military medicine moving at the speed of light.

My understanding is that the cause for concern will be primarily if it's causing pressure on the optic nerve and causing the visual disturbances. Will let you know when I find out. Here I thought getting an MRI in two weeks was rather fast (and is for the base hospital here) and you've already had one done and analyzed.

Good luck with what they found out for you. Keep us posted.

Cat

Title: Re: Calcification on head CT
Post by Lizzie2 on Apr 13^th, 2005, 10:16am

LOL Cat,

Yes if things at Jefferson don't move at the speed of light already, then I MAKE them! hehe

Actually whenever I have to go to radiology (which is all the time now since I also got the AVN), they are really good at working with my schedule to the best of their abilities because I'm a student...and they recognize that students have the schedules from hell. :)

Plus, here we can get an MRI in TJUH itself, at Rothman Orthopaedics, at Jeff Hospital for Neurosciences, or at a really cool looking office building across the street from me. So that helps!

Anyways...best of luck. I thought the optic change thing was interesting, too...since I did lose my vision the night of what they are calling a basilar migraine. I'll have to see! (no pun intended)

They also found some other shtuff...I have the brain of someone with migraine for years since they did find the subcortical white matter lesions...and then the right maxillary sinus is completely occluded...diagnosis of Pansinus. I have yet to ask my ENT if that is a normal finding after recently having sinus surgery or if that means they are going to have to do more work!

For now, ignorance is bliss!!

OK..now gotta go write a research paper on drug withdrawing babies and issues concerning maternal-infant bonding. Woohoo!!

Good luck and let me know how it turns out!

Lizzie :)

Title: Re: Calcification on head CT
Post by catlind on Apr 19^th, 2005, 10:42pm

MRI shows pituitary tumor/cyst, done without contrast, apparently they can't decide what it is without. Fairly good size as far as I'm concerned, little smaller than a dime. Have had the visual disturbance/blind spots occur 4 more times since the initial onset.

Off to see the neuro next week and find out what we do next, if they can do surgery to remove or what will have to happen. It's on the right side near the pituitary stalk. Fun fun.

Cat