Brief Answer:
Not to worry

Detailed Answer:
Greetings. My name is Dr. Saghafi. I am a neurologist from XXXXXXX Ohio.

I would like to answer your question. There is really no significant information in that statement for several reasons:

1. A CT scan of the head is not very reliable or sensitive when looking at structures toward the back of the skull (parts of the brain that are in the rear or occipital areas). That is where the vertebral arteries are located.

2. As you can see the radiologist isn't even very sure of what they're seeing which you can detect from the way they are wording their report statement. They say, "POSSIBLE" "MINIMAL atherosclerotic calcification"

And so this means that the radiologist THINKS there MAY BE MINIMAL atherosclerosis in your left vertebral. There probably isn't a human being over the age of 35 years old who doesn't have that same finding. In other words, the radiologist is just trying to cover themselves by calling everything and anything they SEE ON THE RADIOLGRAPH without necessarily putting what he sees in the context of the medical situation.

I don't know if you have any other conditions such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, or a smoker, or have high cholesterol.....since all of those mentioned conditions can also lead to atherosclerotic plaque buildup ANYWHERE in the body. If you could modify your lifestyles then, in all probability you may find even more little dots or "spots" in the blood vessels or in the brain itself.

If this information has been helpful I'd appreciate a bit of written feedback and a STAR RATING. if there are no further questions on these issues I'd equally appreciate your CLOSING THE QUERY on your end so that it may be processed, archived, and credited for future reference.

Please feel free to contact me directly and ask more questions on this topic or any other by using the following link:

http://doctor.healthcaremagic.com/Funnel?page=askDoctorDirectly&docId=68474

This query required 19 minutes of physician specific review, research, and final draft documentation for envoy.

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Brief Answer:
It's likely a natural finding present in all folks

Detailed Answer:
As I said, the finding of POSSIBLE MINIMAL ATHEROSCLEROTIC CALCIFICATION is something that can be found in EVERYONE your age and older. It's a natural part of aging to find some small amount of calcification within blood vessels, joints, the back, the neck....everywhere.

When I mentioned the risk factors of smoking, etc. I simply meant to say that those would be factors that could definitely lead to such a finding (if present) but at the same time many people who don't any of those things and are perfectly healthy in every other way can still have this sort of calcification in their system.

Also, I said that the CT scan is not the best test to see this sort of thing. The area of the vertebral artery is hidden from its view by virtue of how the machine takes its picture. A much better type of test that could show the vertebral arteries would be what's called a Magnetic Resonance Angiogram or MRA which should be obtained of both the neck as well as the head.

An MRA would be much more sensitive and precise in order to spot this sort of thing. Very often I find that the CT scan appears to show something but then, the MRA shows nothing at all. And so I wouldn't be surprised if you got the MRA and then, nothing really showed up in that region. Then, what's showing up on the CT scan could be referred to as simple bony or calcium artifact.

Therefore, I wouldn't say that any dizziness you may have (and I'm not sure what you mean when you say, "dizziness") is due to this finding. I'd need to know more about the dizziness and then, I would suggest getting the MRA assuming your dizziness can be related to something in the brain or the vessels of the brain.

Hope that makes things a bit more focused.

Bottom line- The CT finding is not a clinically significant finding and should be corroborated by an MRA of the head and neck. Symptoms of dizziness should be further investigated...doubtful they are related to the CT finding (assuming it's real).

If this information has been helpful I'd appreciate a bit of written feedback and a STAR RATING. if there are no further questions on these issues I'd equally appreciate your CLOSING THE QUERY on your end so that it may be processed, archived, and credited for future reference.

Please feel free to contact me directly and ask more questions on this topic or any other by using the following link:

http://doctor.healthcaremagic.com/Funnel?page=askDoctorDirectly&docId=68474

This query required 15 minutes of physician specific review, research, and final draft documentation for envoy.

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