Diffuse pulmonary calcifications: A case series and review of literature

Abstract

Pulmonary calcifications are usually incidental asymptomatic findings discovered on x-rays or computed tomography scans that can be easily overlooked, and their significance undermined, especially in a seemingly asymptomatic person. Calcifications can be a marker of chronicity or disease severity, and thus have diagnostic value. Rarely, calcification can be the direct cause of morbidity. Calcifications can be either localized or diffuse. Many diseases, in particular infectious diseases, can cause localized calcifications. Diffuse calcifications are less common and usually secondary to a handful of conditions such as dystrophic pulmonary calcifications, metastatic pulmonary calcifications, disseminated pulmonary ossifications and pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis. We describe three cases of diffuse pulmonary calcifications, review the different causes of diffuse pulmonary calcifications and provide some indicators on how to differentiate between them. Differentiating between the different types of pulmonary calcifications has significant implications on the management and prognosis of the patients, and thus it is important to distinguish between them.

Keywords: dystrophic pulmonary calcifications; metastatic pulmonary calcifications; pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis; pulmonary calcifications.