Familial occurrence of calcinosis of the basal ganglia

: In two sisters aged 36 and 38 years symmetrical calcifications were found in the vicinity of the pallidum in brain CT. In the younger sister epileptic seizures and transient focal signs were due to arrhythmias of the heart caused by mitral valve leaflet prolapse. In the second case no neurological signs were found. The calcifications were probably genetically determined suggesting an autosomal recessive inheritance. The described cases are another example of familial calcifications in basal ganglia without neurological changes.