Calcification of the ligamentum arteriosum in children: a normal finding on CT.

Calcification of the ligamentum arteriosum is a rare finding on plain radiographs. We commonly have seen the calcification on unenhanced CT scans of the chest, a finding not previously reported. A retrospective review of unenhanced CT scans of the chest was undertaken to determine the frequency of the described finding. Seven (13%) of 53 patients had a well-demarcated focus of calcification in the region of the ligamentum arteriosum. None of these patients had evidence of a patent ductus arteriosum. Calcification within the ligamentum arteriosum was seen in 13% of routine CT examinations of the chest in children and should not be confused with a pathologic process producing mediastinal calcifications.