https://doi.org/10.4081/monaldi.2021.1709
Pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis: Blizzard of lung
Submitted: December 1, 2020
Accepted: April 22, 2021
Published: June 10, 2021
Accepted: April 22, 2021
Abstract Views: 1539
PDF: 671
Publisher's note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
Authors
Pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis (PAM) is a rare inherited disorder in which patients present with either nonspecific signs and symptoms or are asymptomatic. Clinical-radiological dissociation is a commonly seen feature of the disease. Majority of cases are diagnosed in second and third decade of life, although presentation in paediatric and elderly population is also reported. Pathognomonic radiological findings, with normal calcium and phosphate levels can confirm the diagnosis without the need of further investigations in large number of cases. A high index of suspicion and knowledge of the disease is of paramount importance as it has a wide range of presentation and variable course thus posing a diagnostic challenge. We present two cases of this rare disease in elderly females with distinct presentations although with similar and characteristic radiological findings along with a brief review of literature of the disease.
Castellana G, Castellana G, Gentile M, et al. Pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis: Review of the 1022 cases reported worldwide. Eur Respir Rev 2015;24:607-20.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1183/16000617.0036-2015
Tendolkar M. An “Orphan” in search of a treatment: Pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis. Lung India 2019;36:553.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/lungindia.lungindia_437_19
Viswananthan R. Pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis. Thorax 1962;17:251-6.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/thx.17.3.251
Harbitz F. Extensive calcification of the lungs as a distinct disease. Arch Intern Med (Chic) 1918;XXI:139-46.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1001/archinte.1918.00090070150012
Saito A, McCormack FX. Pulmonary Alveolar Microlithiasis. Clin Chest Med. 2016;37:441-8.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccm.2016.04.007
Castellana G, Gentile M, Castellana R, et al. Pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis: clinical features, evolution of the phenotype, and review of the literature. Am J Med Genet 2002;111:220–4.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ajmg.10530
Tachibana T, Hagiwara K, Johkoh T. Pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis: Review and management. Curr Opin Pulm Med 2009;15:486-90.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/MCP.0b013e32832d03bb
Castellana G, Carone D, Castellana M. Microlithiasis of seminal vesicles and severe oligoasthenospermia in pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis (PAM): report of an unusual sporadic case. Int J Fertil Steril 2015; 9:137-40.
Balikian JP, Fuleihan FJ, Nucho CN. Pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis. Report of five cases with special reference to roentgen manifestations. Am J Roentgenol Radium Ther Nucl Med 1968;103:509-18.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2214/ajr.103.3.509
Felson B. Thoracic calcifications. Dis Chest 1969;56:330-43.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1378/chest.56.4.330
Cluzel P, Grenier P, Bernadac P, et al. Pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis: Ct findings. J Comput Assist Tomog. 1991;15:938-42.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/00004728-199111000-00006
Pracyk JB, Simonson SG, Young SL, et al. Composition of lung lavage in pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis. Respiration 1996;63:254-60.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1159/000196556
Ganesan N, Ambroise MM, Ramdas A, et al. Pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis: an interesting case report with systematic review of Indian literature. Front Med 2015;9:229-38.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11684-015-0394-y
Belém LC, Zanetti G, Souza AS, et al. Metastatic pulmonary calcification: State-of-the-art review focused on imaging findings. Respir Med 2014;108:668-76.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rmed.2014.01.012
Ozcelik U, Yalcin E, Arıyurek M, et al. Long-term results of disodium etidronate treatment in pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis. Pediatr Pulmonol 2010;45:514-7.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ppul.21209
Stamatis G, Zerkowski H, Doetsch N, et al. Sequential bilateral lung transplantation for pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis. Ann Thorac Surg 1993;56:972-5.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0003-4975(93)90370-W
Jindal A, Rahulan V, Balasubramani G, et al. Pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis: A rare disease treated with lung transplantation, first case from India. Lung India 2019;36:546.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/lungindia.lungindia_50_19
How to Cite
Mittal, Richa, Rohit Kumar, Juvva Kishan Srikanth, Siddharth Raj Yadav, Ravi Chandak, and Shibdas Chakrabarti. 2021. “Pulmonary Alveolar Microlithiasis: Blizzard of Lung”. Monaldi Archives for Chest Disease 91 (4). https://doi.org/10.4081/monaldi.2021.1709.
Copyright (c) 2021 The Author(s)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
PAGEPress has chosen to apply the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0) to all manuscripts to be published.
Similar Articles
- Massimiliano Polastri, Lara Pisani, Andrea Dell'Amore, Stefano Nava, Revolving door respiratory patients: A rehabilitative perspective , Monaldi Archives for Chest Disease: Vol. 87 No. 3 (2017)
- Paolo Ruggeri, Federica Lo Bello, Francesco Nucera, Michele Gaeta, Francesco Monaco, Gaetano Caramori, Giuseppe Girbino, Hereditary hyperhomocysteinemia associated with nephrotic syndrome complicated by artery thrombosis and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension: A case report , Monaldi Archives for Chest Disease: Vol. 87 No. 3 (2017)
- Abhishekl Agarwal, Sakshi Batra, Rajendra Prasad, Anand Verma, Abdul Q. Jilani, Surya Kant, A study on the prevalence of depression and the severity of depression in patients of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in a semi-urban Indian population , Monaldi Archives for Chest Disease: Vol. 88 No. 1 (2018)
- Abhijeet Singh, Rajendra Prasad, Rajiv Garg, Surya Kant, Giridhar B. Hosmane, Abhisek Dubey, Abhisek Agarwal, Ram Kishun Verma, A study to estimate prevalence and risk factors of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea Syndrome in a semi-urban Indian population , Monaldi Archives for Chest Disease: Vol. 87 No. 1 (2017)
- Dimitrios Papadopoulos, Panagiotis Misthos, Maria Chorti, Vlasios Skopas, Alexandra Nakou, Napoleon Karagianidis, Achilleas Lioulias, Vasiliki Filaditaki, Unilateral pulmonary hypoplasia in an adult patient , Monaldi Archives for Chest Disease: Vol. 88 No. 1 (2018)
- H. Sumikawa, T. Johkoh, N. Tomiyama, S. Hamada, M. Koyama, M. Tsubamoto, S. Murai, A. Inoue, H. Nakamura, T. Tachibana, N.L. Müller, Pulmonary Alveolar Microlithiasis: CT and pathologic findings in 10 patients , Monaldi Archives for Chest Disease: Vol. 63 No. 1 (2005): Pulmonary series
- Madalina Macrea, Richard ZuWallack, Linda Nici, There’s no place like home: Integrating pulmonary rehabilitation into the home setting , Monaldi Archives for Chest Disease: Vol. 87 No. 2 (2017)
- Vishal Chopra, Hardik Jain, Akhil D. Goel, Siddharth Chopra, Ashrafjit S. Chahal, Neha Garg, Vidhu Mittal, Correlation of aspergillus skin hypersensitivity with the duration and severity of asthma , Monaldi Archives for Chest Disease: Vol. 87 No. 3 (2017)
- I. Hawrylkiewicz, P. Sliwinski, D. Górecka, R. Plywaczewski, J. Zielinski, Pulmonary haemodynamics in patients with OSAS or an overlap syndrome , Monaldi Archives for Chest Disease: Vol. 61 No. 3 (2004): Pulmonary series
- Cuneyt Tetikkurt, Nail Yılmaz, Seza Tetikkurt, Şule Gundogdu, Rian Disci, The value of exfoliative cell cytology in the diagnosis of exudative pleural effusions , Monaldi Archives for Chest Disease: Vol. 88 No. 3 (2018)
You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.
