Pathologic calcification is the abnormal tissue deposition of calcium salts, together with smaller amounts of iron, magnesium, and other mineral salts.
Types
post-necrotic calcifications
metastatic calcifications
tumoral calcifications
There are two forms of pathologic calcification. When the calcium deposition occurs locally in dying tissues, the phenomenon is known as post-necrotic calcifications (dystrophic calcification); it occurs despite normal serum levels of calcium and in the absence of derangements in calcium metabolism.
In contrast, the deposition of calcium salts in otherwise normal tissues is known as metastatic calcification, and it almost always results from hypercalcemia secondary to some disturbance in calcium metabolism.
Etiology
calcium metabolism anomalies
granulomatous processes
histiocytic infiltrations
- familial erythrophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (FEL) (8058942)
- Langerhans cell histiocytosis (8332411, 12712269, 10602868, 1815172, 1776032)
- non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis
tumors
Localizations
cerebral calcifications
subserosal calcifications (peritoneal calcifications)
renal calcifications
- Wolman disease
- adrenal necrosis
- adrenal ischemia)
- adrneal neuroblastoma