Metastatic pulmonary calcification is an underdiagnosed metabolic lung disease characterized by diffuse calcium deposition in the lungs, often associated with secondary hyperparathyroidism due to chronic renal failure. A 31-year-old man with chronic renal failure initially presented with diffuse pain symptoms, deterioration of general condition, and respiratory insufficiency. Noncontrast-enhanced computed tomography of the chest was performed using a spectral-detector-based dual-energy CT. It showed multiple, centrilobular, ground-glass opacities, and nodules, ultimately leading to the diagnosis. Calcium suppression proved to be highly useful to classify the pulmonary alterations.
Keywords: CT, computed tomography; CaSupp-I, calcium suppression index; Calcium suppression; Chronic renal failure; Dual-energy CT; MPC, metastatic pulmonary calcification; Metastatic pulmonary calcification; MonoE, monoenergetic; ROI, region of interest; SDCT, spectral-detector CT; Secondary hyperparathyroidism; Spectral-detector CT.
© 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of University of Washington.