Médecine pulmonaire et respiratoire

Images- Pulmonary Alveolar Microlithiasis (PAM)

Abstract

Ritu Galhotra and Kamini Gupta

Pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis (PAM) is a rare disease of unknown origin in which calcific concretions collect in alveolar spaces. No known cause for the disease had been identified and there appears to be no systemic disorder of calcium metabolism. Plain chest X-ray shows a white lung consisting of fine sandlike micro calcification diffusely scattered throughout both lungs with high density at lung basis. CT reveals ground glass haze with inter and intra lobular septal thickening suggestive of crazy paving pattern. We here report the typical X-ray and HRCT images of a case of PAM: a rare disease characterized by wide spread sand like intra alveolar calcifications.