Chest calcifications beyond the lung parenchyma-A review.

OBJECTIVE: Thoracic calcifications are frequently found in chest radiographs and CTs, occurring in a wide variety of disorders. Although most calcifications are harmless sequelae of previous disease, they provide important information to establish the diagnosis. This article reviews the different types of calcified lesions found in the chest, focusing on lesions outside the lung parenchyma. A location-based approach to the differential diagnosis is used, while providing the reader with diagnostic pearls and discussing the clinical importance of the different types of calcifications.

CONCLUSION: Chest calcifications are a common finding in routine chest imaging. Understanding the different etiologies and radiologic manifestations provide the radiologist with the necessary tools to elaborate a differential diagnosis, as well as to correctly differentiate the findings that need further work-up from the ones that can be dismissed.