Dementia syndrome in patients with postsurgical hypoparathyroidism and extensive brain calcifications.

The authors report the cases of 2 patients with extensive brain calcifications after thyroidectomy, showing behavioral and cognitive changes suggesting a subcortical dementia syndrome. On the basis of clinical, neuroradiologic and SPECT features they discuss the role of the brain calcifications in the pathophysiology of associated cognitive disorders and the putative mechanisms for the observed neuropsychological disorders.