Is there a relationship between sella turcica calcification and thyroid cartilage calcification? A random study using lateral cephalometric radiography

Abstract

Thyroid cartilage changes begin in the second decade of life with the horn of the thyroid cartilage, and spread throughout the individual’s lifetime to other cartilage plates. However, the objective of the present study is to assess if there is an association between thyroid calcification (TC) and sella turcica bridging (STB). Forty patients, 11 men and 29 women, aged between 40 and 62 years with a mean age of 48.6 years were studied. The sample inclusion criteria of this study were age in the fourth decade, no craniofacial deformities, no history of craniofacial surgical intervention, good-quality lateral cephalometric radiographs, and good visualization of the sella turcica (ST). A total of 40 registered patients were included in the assessment of calcification of the thyroid cartilage. Of these, 75% presented with thyroid calcifications, and 25% did not. Data on sex was available for all 40 registered patients. A total of 72.5% were female, and 27.5% were male. While in a comparison between calcification of the thyroid and calcification of the sella turcica, no statistical relationship was observed between the two variables. Thyroid cartilage calcification could be considered a normal part of the ageing process, while STB could appear on lateral radiographs due to superimposition of the anatomical structures. In this study, we found no relationship between thyroid cartilage calcification and STB, and a larger patient sample is required for evaluating calcification of the thyroid and STB.