[Case report of multiple myeloma associated with diffuse pulmonary calcinosis]

Abstract

A case of multiple myeloma with diffuse metastatic calcinosis of the lung is presented. The patient was a 60-year-old male with IgA-kappa-myeloma who developed renal failure and hypercalcemia. Multiple small nodular shadows were observed both in plain chest films and CT films. The patient died of progressive respiratory failure. Postmortem examinations showed pulmonary infiltrations and massive pulmonary calcifications. Small nodular shadows were due to diffuse calcium deposits which were observed in and around the alveolar basement membranes of both the bronchioles and the blood vessels. It is generally believed that pulmonary calcinosis may not be detected by routine chest films; however, the nodular shadows observed in our patient seem to be pathognomonic and may indicate the severity of calcinosis.