Calcification of the ductus venosus: a cause of right upper quadrant calcification in the newborn.

Abstract

The authors report three cases of ductus venosus calcification as an additional cause of vascular liver calcification in the newborn. All three infants had umbilical venous catheters. The calcification may be caused by extravasated fluids given through the catheter or by local trauma due to catheter insertion. An obliquely oriented, paravertebral "tram-track" calcification in the right upper quadrant, particularly in a premature infant with a history of umbilical venous catheterization, should suggest the diagnosis of calcified ductus venosus.