Prevalence of soft tissue calcifications in cone beam computed tomography images in the region of head and neck

Vandeberg Diniz; Elaine Cristina de Carvalho Beda Correa de Araújo; Bianca Costa Gonçalves; Karolina Aparecida Castilho Fardim; Luiz Roberto C Manhães Junior; Estela Kaminagakura Tango; Isis Patricia Soares da Silva; Sérgio Lúcio Pereira Castro Lopes

doi:10.14295/bds.2020.v23i2.1864

Authors

Vandeberg Diniz São Paulo State University (Unesp) – Institute of Science and Technology, São José dos Campos –Department of Diagnosis and Surgery - São José dos Campos - SP - Brazil.
Elaine Cristina de Carvalho Beda Correa de Araújo São Paulo State University (Unesp) – Institute of Science and Technology, São José dos Campos –Department of Diagnosis and Surgery - São José dos Campos - SP - Brazil. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2312-4175
Bianca Costa Gonçalves São Paulo State University (Unesp) – Institute of Science and Technology, São José dos Campos –Department of Diagnosis and Surgery - São José dos Campos - SP - Brazil.
Karolina Aparecida Castilho Fardim São Paulo State University (Unesp) – Institute of Science and Technology, São José dos Campos –Department of Diagnosis and Surgery - São José dos Campos - SP - Brazil.
Luiz Roberto C Manhães Junior São Paulo State University (Unesp) – Institute of Science and Technology, São José dos Campos –Department of Diagnosis and Surgery - São José dos Campos - SP - Brazil.
Estela Kaminagakura Tango São Paulo State University (Unesp) – Institute of Science and Technology, São José dos Campos – Department of Biosciences and Oral Diagnosis - São José dos Campos - SP - Brazil.
Isis Patricia Soares da Silva São Paulo State University (Unesp) – Institute of Science and Technology, São José dos Campos –Department of Diagnosis and Surgery - São José dos Campos - SP - Brazil.
Sérgio Lúcio Pereira Castro Lopes São Paulo State University (Unesp) – Institute of Science and Technology, São José dos Campos –Department of Diagnosis and Surgery - São José dos Campos - SP - Brazil.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14295/bds.2020.v23i2.1864

Abstract

Objective: to evaluate the prevalence of calcifications in the soft tissues of the cervical-facial region using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images. Material and Methods: two hundred and ten CBCT exames was analyzed by 01 examiner previously trained, with fild of view (FOV) of 16 x 13 cm and voxel of 0.25 mm, in ICAT Vision software (Imaging Science International, Hatfield, PA, USA) in coronal, axial and sagittal sections. The following calcifications were evaluated: tonsiloliths, sialolites, calcification of the styloid complex, calcified carotid atheromas, calcifications in laryngeal cartilages, calcified lymph nodes and osteoma cutis. The findings were tabulated according to the total of the sample, related to the gender, age group of the individuals. Results: Calcification of the styloid complex was the most frequent in the sample studied in both genres (39.04%), followed by the presence of tonsiloliths (19.52%), and calcified lymph nodes (6,67%). Conclusion: calcifications are frequent radiographic findings in CBCT and important for the diagnosis of some possible pathologies that do not present clinical symptoms.

KEYWORDS

Cone-beam computed tomography; Prevalence; Soft tissue calcification.