Myocardial calcifications: pathophysiology, etiologies, differential diagnoses, and imaging findings

John W Nance Jr; Genevieve M Crane; Marc K Halushka; Elliot K Fishman; Stefan L Zimmerman

doi:10.1016/j.jcct.2014.10.004

Myocardial calcifications: pathophysiology, etiologies, differential diagnoses, and imaging findings

J Cardiovasc Comput Tomogr. 2015 Jan-Feb;9(1):58-67. doi: 10.1016/j.jcct.2014.10.004. Epub 2014 Oct 22.

Authors

John W Nance Jr¹, Genevieve M Crane², Marc K Halushka², Elliot K Fishman¹, Stefan L Zimmerman³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Radiology, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD, 601 N. Caroline St., Room 4214, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.
² Department of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD, 600 N. Wolfe Street, Carnegie 417, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.
³ Department of Radiology, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD, 601 N. Caroline St., Room 4214, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA. Electronic address: stefan.zimmerman@jhmi.edu.

PMID: 25456525
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcct.2014.10.004

Abstract

Myocardial calcifications are not uncommonly encountered by the cardiac imager and may have a range of imaging appearances, from focal calcific deposits to diffuse myocardial involvement. A number of pathological processes can both cause and result from myocardial calcification; therefore, accurate identification and characterization are important. This pictorial essay will review the mechanisms, etiologies, imaging features, and differential diagnoses of myocardial calcification with imaging examples.

Keywords: Cardiovascular CT; Myocardial calcification.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Calcinosis / diagnostic imaging*
Cardiomyopathies / diagnostic imaging*
Child, Preschool
Diagnosis, Differential
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Radiographic Image Enhancement / methods*
Tomography, X-Ray Computed / methods*