|
 
 |
| CHEST IMAGE |
|
| Year : 2015 | Volume
: 3
| Issue : 1 | Page : 31-32 |
|
Incidental tracheobronchial calcification
K Manoj1, K Santosh2
1 Department of Radiodiagnosis, King George's Medical University, UP, Lucknow, India
2 Department of Pulmonary Medicine, King George's Medical University, UP, Lucknow, India
| Date of Web Publication | 12-Dec-2014 |
Correspondence Address:
K Manoj
Department of Radiodiagnosis, King George's Medical University, UP, Lucknow
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/2320-8775.146853
How to cite this article:
Manoj K, Santosh K. Incidental tracheobronchial calcification. J Assoc Chest Physicians 2015;3:31-2 |
A-60-year-old woman had chief complaints of dyspnea and cough. Her pulmonary function tests were unremarkable. Blood tests including serum calcium and phosphates levels were within normal limits. Postero-anterior view of chest X-ray revealed tracheobronchial cartilage calcification, prominent pulmonary bay, and cardiomegaly [Figure 1]. Computed tomography (CT) showed tracheobronchial cartilage calcification [Figure 2] and [Figure 3] and emphysematous changes in bilateral upper lung fields. Incidental detection of tracheobronchial calcification, its incidence and appearances on various imaging modalities are crucial for diagnosis and management. Incidence of this entity is around 0.87%. [1] Usually, it appears beyond the age of 60 year and less common below the age of 15 years. However, the youngest case has been reported at the age of 9 month. [2] The common causes of tracheobronchial cartilage calcification are hypervitaminosis D, hypercalcemia, hyperphosphatemia, chondradysplasia punctata, adrenogenital syndrome, following cardiac surgery in children, long-term warfarin induced dystrophic dysplasia, tracheobronchopathia osteochondroplastica, tracheobronchial amyloidosis, relapsing polychondritis and ageing-process. Thickening of tracheal cartilage with sparing of posterior membranous portions and protruding small calcific submucosal nodules into the tracheal lumen are seen in tracheobronchopathia osteochondroplastica. Tracheobronchial amyloidosis involves the posterior membranous part and relapsing polychondritis spares posterior membranous part of the trachea. Frequent use of CT scan and its high sensitivity to detect a small calcification are increasing the incidence of tracheobronchial cartilage calcification. | Figure 1: Postero-anterior view of chest X-ray revealed tracheobronchial cartilage calcification, prominent pulmonary bay, and cardiomegaly
Click here to view |
 | Figure 2: Reformatted coronal computed tomography image revealed tracheobronchial cartilage calcification
Click here to view |
 | Figure 3: Axial computed tomography image revealed calcification in the anterior portion of tracheal ring
Click here to view |
| References | |  |
| 1. | Amit A, Saginela SK, Raghu K, Singh SP. Incidental trachea-bronchial calcification. Med J DY Patil Univ 2012;5:166-7.  |
| 2. | Caffey J. Pediatric X-ray Diagnosis. 2 nd ed. Chicago: USA; 1950. p. 152. |
[Figure 1], [Figure 2], [Figure 3]
|
Search Pubmed for