The authors present two of their own observations where, based on the clinical course of the disease and the X-ray finding, they diagnosed the condition as pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis. They present a review of the literature as regards new views on the pathogenesis, diagnosis and therapy of the condition. They evaluate the contribution of scintigraphy 99 mTc, bronchial lavage and X-ray me...

Pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis is a rare, inherited pulmonary disorder affecting young adults. Diagnosis and monitoring is important as it may progress to pulmonary fibrosis and respiratory failure. No effective treatment has been found to date.

Case report from a 12-years old russian girl with pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis. The diagnosis was confirmed by histologic examination from biopsy specimen of the lung. The differential diagnosis and the histomorphology are discussed.

We report a patient with pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis who was admitted to King Abdul-Aziz Hospital, Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with chest pain, shortness of breath, dry cough and swelling of lower limbs. The patient underwent chest radiographs and CT scan showing multiple diffuse, almost symmetrical bilateral micronodular opacities of calcific density. The diagnosis was confirmed afte...

Pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis (PAM) is a rare autosomal recessive condition that is often asymptomatic despite significant changes in chest imaging. Diagnosis is often made when patients become symptomatic in adulthood. There are still no proven treatments, but earlier diagnosis may allow for evaluation of preventative strategies that could improve outcome. It is an important diagnosis to c...

Pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis (PAM) is a genetic lung disorder that is characterized by the accumulation of calcium phosphate deposits in the alveolar spaces of the lung. Mutations in the type II sodium phosphate cotransporter, NPT2b, have been reported in patients with PAM. PAM progresses gradually, often producing incremental dyspnea on exertion, desaturation in young adulthood, and respi...

Eighteen cases have been reported in the literature, but the diagnosis was established during life in eight cases only. To our knowledge, the two cases we report are the nineteenth and twentieth. Among these 18 cases it has been noticed that 11 were in men and seven in women. The youngest patient reported was 6 years old, but the average age was between 30 and 50 years. Diagnosis was made at ne...

Table 1 in the article by Mathru et al’ shows that when the pericardium was opened, the cardiac index fell from 2.9 to 2.8, coupled with a rise in heart rate from 63 to 64. This should cause a fall in stroke volume of5.0 percent, not the 1.7 percent rise (from 59 to 60 ml) claimed in Table 2 in that article. Likewise, Table 3 shows no change in cardiac index. However, that cardiac index value c...

Pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis (PAM) is a rare diffuse lung disease characterised by the accumulation of calcium phosphate microliths within the alveoli. The causative mechanism of PAM has only recently been discovered, and involves a gene mutation of sodium phosphate co-transporter, which is expressed by alveolar epithelial cells. This mutation may have variable consequences on the clinical...