Calcifying atheromatosis of the carotid artery on routine panoramic radiography: a case report
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36557/2674-8169.2025v7n4p80-89Keywords:
Plaque atherosclerotic, Preventive Maintenance, Prostheses and Implants, Radiography PanoramicAbstract
The development of fat plaques, atheromas, inside blood vessels can cause obliteration and interruption of blood flow, in addition to having the potential to detach and be transported by the blood until they obstruct other smaller vessels. It is an important predictor of strokes and can cause partial or total sequelae in individuals. The main risk factors for the development of atheromas are genetics, family history, advancing age, lifestyle, diet, smoking, diabetes and sedentary lifestyle. Panoramic radiographs, routine in Dentistry, can detect changes suggestive of carotid atheroma, and therefore determine the prognosis of patients. The objective of this study is to report a case of carotid atheroma detected on a panoramic radiograph performed for monitoring peri-implant health in a patient undergoing maintenance and control in Implantology in an extension project of the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Brazil. From the panoramic radiography examination, a protocol used in the project to assess peri-implant health, multiple and non-continuous nodular radiopaque structures were identified between the C3 and C4 vertebrae in the region inferior and posterior to the angle of the mandible, suggestive of calcified atheroma of the carotid artery. In this study, the risk factors presented by the 64-year-old female patient are gender, advanced age and systemic arterial hypertension. Thus, the importance of careful analysis of routine radiographic examinations in Dentistry is highlighted, due to their potential to detect silent changes which can trigger irreversible pathological events with systemic repercussions and on the quality of life of patients.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Barbara Magalhães Figueiredo Dias, Rafaela Regina de Lima, Rebecca Garcia Rabelo, Danilo Rocha Dias, Ênio Lacerda Vilaça, Cláudia Borges Brasileiro, Frederico Santos Lages
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