Computed tomography findings of severe mineralizing microangiopathy in the brain.

The intracranial CT findings of mineralizing microangiopathy, a rare condition, are described in seven patients. The underlying pathology was posterior fossa medulloblastoma (four patients), cerebelloastrocytoma (two patients), and acute lymphatic leukemia (one patient). Each of the seven patients was less than 10 years old. Dystrophic calcification was present in the corticomedullary junction, lentiform nucleus of the basal ganglia, corticomedullary junction, and dentate nucleus of the cerebellum. Three of the patients had subtle neurologic signs related to the mineralizing microangiopathy, but none died of central nervous system disease. Although three factors--radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and increased intracranial pressure--probably have a synergistic role in the pathogenesis, radiation is believed the dominant factor. The minimum dose required to induce this damage is 2000 rad.