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Rapid Brain Calcification after Ischemic Stroke
- Robert J. Wityk, MD;
- Donna Lapeyrolerie, MD; and
- Barry D. Stein, MD
- From Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland. Requests for Reprints: Robert J. Wityk, MD, Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, 2401 West Belvedere Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21215-5271.
Calcium deposition in the brain, readily detectable on computed tomographic (CT) scan, has many possible causes [1-6]. Calcification of an ischemic infarction is rare and is thought to occur months to years after the acute event [2, 5]. We describe a patient who had extensive brain calcification after ischemic stroke. Brain calcification in this patient occurred during a 6-week period in the setting of uremia and hyperphosphatemia.
Case Report
A 63-year-old man with a history of hypertension, alcohol abuse, and renal failure (for which he received maintenance hemodialysis) was admitted after having left-sided weakness and slurred speech for 1 day. He recalled having a brief episode of numbness on the left side 1 week earlier. At the initial examination, he was lethargic and had severe dysarthria, left hemiplegia with hyper-reflexia, and left-sided sensory deficits. A head CT scan showed no lesions. Medications before admission included colchicine, 0.6 mg daily; epoetin alfa, 4000 U daily; calcitriol, 0.5 g twice a day; aluminum hydroxide tablets four times a day; and transdermal nitroglycerin. Laboratory findings at …
