PULMONARY ALVEOLAR MICROLITHIASIS IN CHILDHOOD - DIAGNOSIS BY TRANSBRONCHIAL BIOPSY

A 7-year-old girl of Arabic origin by consanguineous parents presented with a miliary pattern on chest x-ray. Transbronchial lung biopsy rev ealed a histological diagnosis of pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis, a condition rarely described in childhood. This report highlights the c linical and radiological features, documents the transbronchial lung b iopsy as a useful diagnostic procedure, and suggests a possible geneti c etiology with autosomal recessive inheritance. (C) 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.