Document

First presentation of a case of pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis with spontaneous pneumothorax.

Identifier
DOI 10.5001/omj.2014.117
Contributors
Publisher
Oman Medical Specialty Board.
Gregorian
2014-11
Language
English
English abstract
Pulmonary Alveolar Microlithiasis (PAM) is a rare disease of unknown origin. It is characterized by the presence of small calculi within the alveolar spaces, and has various clinical manifestations. Some patients may be asymptomatic for a long period of time with subsequent occurrence of dyspnea, dry cough, chest pain, and eventually, respiratory failure. Recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax episodes are a late complication of the disease. We report the case of an alveolar microlithiasis episode in a 42-year-old male, admitted to Tohid Hospital, Iran, whose first clinical presentation was symptoms of pneumothorax. He was admitted with sudden onset dyspnea and right-sided pleuretic chest pain. Following treatment of pneumothorax after chest tube placement, the pulmonary function revealed normal indices, and chest radiograph demonstrated diffuse confluence of dense micronodular infiltrate. High-resolution computerized tomography scan showed diffuse ground glass attenuation and calcifications along the interlobular septa and subpleural regions. Transbronchial lung biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of PAM.
Member of
Citation
Sigari, Naseh, & Nikkhoo, Bahram (2014). First presentation of a case of pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis with spontaneous pneumothorax. Oman Medical Journal, 29 (6), 450-453.
Category
Journal articles