Demonstration of primary tracheobronchial amyloidosis by 99mTc-HMDP bone SPECT

A case of primary tracheobronchial amyloidosis is reported. A 61-year-old man presented with a 2-year history of intermittent hemoptysis. Chest X-ray and CT scanning showed tracheobronchial thickening. Bronchoscopic examination revealed diffuse tracheobronchial narrowing, and tracheobronchial biopsy detected amyloid deposits. Both 99mTc-HMDP planar and SPECT images were obtained in this patient. Coronal SPECT images revealed more precisely that the activity was not in the thoracic cage but in the bilateral hilar region. Localization of the amyloid deposits could be better determined on SPECT images than on planar images.