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Pulmonary calcification: scanning electron microscopic and X-ray energy-dispersive analysis
Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
|May 1, 1979
Summary
Metastatic calcification in the lungs of patients with chronic renal failure or bone cancer was analyzed. The mineral composition, primarily calcium phosphates, resembles that of normal bone.
Area of Science:
- Pathology
- Mineralogy
- Renal Medicine
Background:
- Metastatic calcification can occur in patients with chronic renal failure or neoplastic bone disease.
- Understanding the ultrastructure and chemical composition of these calcifications is crucial for diagnosis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize the morphology and chemical composition of lung metastatic calcifications.
- To compare the calcium-to-phosphorus ratios with normal bone and dystrophic calcification.
Main Methods:
- Autopsy lung tissue from nine patients was examined using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy.
- Energy-dispersive x-ray analysis was performed to determine elemental composition.
- Calcium-to-phosphorus ratios were calculated using Hall's formula.
Main Results:
- Calcifications exhibited varied morphologies (threads, beads, rods, tablets) under light microscopy and were amorphous or crystalline by electron microscopy.
- Energy-dispersive x-ray analysis confirmed calcium and phosphorus in all samples, with trace elements in some.
- Calcium-to-phosphorus ratios ranged from 1.406 to 2.145, similar to normal bone and dystrophic calcification.
Conclusions:
- Calcium phosphates are the principal mineral salts in metastatic, normal bone, and dystrophic calcifications.
- Correlative ultrastructural analysis of tissue prepared for light microscopy can aid in diagnosis.