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Sandstorm Appearance of Pulmonary Alveolar Microlithiasis Incidentally Detected in a Young, Asymptomatic Male

  • Ch'ng, Li Shyan (Department of Biomedical Imaging, Faculty of Medicine, University Malaya Medical Center) ;
  • Bux, Shaik Ismail (Department of Biomedical Imaging, Faculty of Medicine, University Malaya Medical Center) ;
  • Liam, Chong Kin (Department of Medical, Faculty of Medicine, University Malaya Medical Center) ;
  • Rahman, Nazarina Abdul (Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University Malaya Medical Center) ;
  • Ho, Choon Yan (Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University Malaya Medical Center)
  • Received : 2012.12.12
  • Accepted : 2013.06.27
  • Published : 2013.09.01

Abstract

Pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis (PAM) is a rare chronic disease with paucity of symptoms in contrast to the imaging findings. We present a case of a 24-year-old Malay man having an incidental abnormal pre-employment chest radiograph of dense micronodular opacities giving the classical "sandstorm" appearance. High-resolution computed tomography of the lungs showed microcalcifications with subpleural cystic changes. Open lung biopsy showed calcospherites within the alveolar spaces. The radiological and histopathological findings were characteristic of PAM.

Keywords

References

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  1. Calcified Curschmann's spirals and microliths in sputum smears from a case of pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis vol.45, pp.12, 2013, https://doi.org/10.1002/dc.23782
  2. Pulmonary Alveolar Microlithiasis: A Unique Case of Familial PAM Complicated by Transplant Rejection vol.2021, pp.None, 2013, https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/6674173