Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis: imaging characteristics of planar and SPECT/CT bone scan versus 18F-FDG and 18F-sodium fluoride PET/CT scanning

  • Case Report
  • Published:
Japanese Journal of Radiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis (PAM) is a very rare disease in which multiple microscopic calcium phosphate microliths are deposited within the alveoli of both lungs. A lung biopsy is considered to be definitive for final diagnosis; however, non-invasive imaging modalities such as chest X-ray, HRCT scan and 99mTc-MDP bone scan suggest the diagnosis in the vast majority of patients. Although 18F-FDG PET/CT has been tried to characterize the disease, 18F-sodium fluoride PET/CT as a ‘proof-of-principle’ was tried for the first time in a known case of PAM in order to characterize the lung lesions. Interestingly, we noted that 18F-sodium fluoride PET/CT is a superior modality in characterization and assessment of the extent of disease in PAM compared to all other non-invasive imaging modalities. Thus, we recommend that 18F-sodium fluoride PET/CT should be the investigation of choice in PAM.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Corut A, Senyigit A, Ugur SA, Altin S, Ozcelik U, Calisir H, et al. Mutations in SLC34A2 cause pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis and are possibly associated with testicular microlithiasis. Am J Hum Genet. 2006;79:650–6.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Coetzee T. Pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis with involvement of the sympathetic nervous system and gonads. Thorax. 1970;25:637–42.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Arslan A, Yalin T, Akan H, Belet U. Pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis associated with calcifications in the seminal vesicles. J Belge Radiol. 1996;79:118–9.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. HorvatićHerceg G, Bracić I, Korsić M, Herceg D, Petrović R, Kusacić Kuna S, et al. “Sandstorm” image: bone scintigraphy in pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2009;36:1353.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Basu S, Shah M, Joshi JM, Lad S. Imaging calcific concretions of pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis with PET: insight into disease pathophysiology. Clin Nucl Med. 2012;37:707–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Ito K, Kubota K, Yukihiro M, Izumi S, Miyano S, Kudo K, et al. FDG-PET/CT finding of high uptake in pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis. Ann Nucl Med. 2007;21:415–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Mariotta S, Ricci A, Papale M, De Clementi F, Sposato B, Guidi L, et al. Pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis: report on 576 cases published in the literature. Sarcoidosis Vasc Diffuse Lung Dis. 2004;21:173–81.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Castellana G, Lamorgese V. Pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis. World cases and review of the literature. Respiration. 2003;70:549–55.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Shah M, Joshi JM. Bone scintigraphy in pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis. Indian J Chest Dis Allied Sci. 2011;53:221–3.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Grant FD, Fahey FH, Packard AB, Davis RT, Alavi A, Treves ST. Skeletal PET with 18F-fluoride: applying new technology to an old tracer. J Nucl Med. 2008;49:68–78.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Conflict of interest

None.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Chandra Shekhar Bal.

About this article

Cite this article

Sahoo, M.K., Karunanithi, S. & Bal, C.S. Pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis: imaging characteristics of planar and SPECT/CT bone scan versus 18F-FDG and 18F-sodium fluoride PET/CT scanning. Jpn J Radiol 31, 766–769 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11604-013-0250-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11604-013-0250-4

Keywords

Navigation