Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40964545›Full record

ArticleCureus2025

Stone Trails Across the Cervical Planes: Extensive Bilateral Cervicothoracic Calcifications Mimicking Invasive Pathology.

Humna Rashid, Hadia Sohail, Muhammad Younus, Saleh Khurshied, Syeda Hoorya Faatmaa

Abstract readCase Reports
In one paragraph

Article in Cureus, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Humna RashidOtolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad, PAK.
Hadia SohailOtolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad, PAK.
Muhammad YounusOtolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad, PAK.
Saleh KhurshiedOtolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad, PAK.
Syeda Hoorya FaatmaaOtolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad, PAK.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Benign soft tissue calcifications in the neck are uncommon and can pose significant diagnostic challenges due to their clinical and radiological resemblance to malignant lesions. It is crucial to distinguish between these entities in order to prevent unnecessary and aggressive interventions. We describe the case of a 38-year-old woman who had an anterior neck swelling that had been painful, firm, and irregular for four years and had no previous comorbidities. With no accompanying symptoms like dysphagia, dyspnea, or voice abnormalities, the mass had an abrupt onset and did not progress. A fixed, firm swelling that moved with deglutition and tongue protrusion was discovered during the clinical examination. Imaging revealed widespread, pleomorphic calcifications extending from the cervical to the upper thoracic area. These extended transfascially and transcompartmentally, with a modest mass effect on nearby structures. Ultrasound-guided FNAC was non-diagnostic, and a subsequent incisional biopsy revealed calcified and fibrous tissue without evidence of malignancy. Since there were no compressive symptoms and the histology was benign, the patient was treated conservatively and monitored closely. This case emphasizes how crucial it is to perform a thorough clinical, radiographic, and histological investigation in order to differentiate benign calcified neck masses from malignancies. Conservative management with close monitoring may be appropriate in selected cases without compressive or systemic signs.

Indexed as

conservative approachhead and neck calcificationshead and neck masslong term follow upsoft-tissue calcification

Identifiers

PMID40964545
PMCPMC12440238

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.