Benign Intracranial Calcified Lesion or a So-Called Brain Stone: A Challenging Diagnosis

Abstract

Brain stone is an umbrella term for benign intracerebral calcifications and may be associated with various diagnoses. The surgical decision should be made on a case-by-case basis. Sometimes, conservative management should be considered, irrespective of the underlying pathology. We present a critical case with a brain stone treated conservatively. A 17-year-old female patient was admitted to our department with a headache. The neurological examination revealed no abnormal findings. Cranial CT and MRI scans showed a contrast-enhanced, highly calcified lesion located deep in the white matter at the level of the left centrum semiovale. Surgery was found unnecessary. The patient presented no neurologic deficits or symptoms during the three-year follow-up period. In this case, the differential diagnosis included arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), cavernomas, calcifying pseudoneoplasms of the neuroaxis (CAPNON), etc. The localization of the lesion, expression of the symptoms, and potential outcomes of a possible surgery should be carefully estimated before making the final decision. In summary, conservative treatment should also be considered for critically located, benign calcified lesions, irrespective of pathology, unless they cause intense neurologic symptoms or deficits.