[An unusual case of cardiac insufficiency]

A 70 year old patient with a past history of a left ventricular cardiomyopathy with concentric hypertrophy presented with an exacerbation of cardiac failure; radiology revealed bilateral lung infiltrations, predominantly on the right and a restrictive ventilatory disorder. The broncho-alveolar lavage revealed a lymphocytosis with CD4 prominence. Microbiological examination was negative. With a worsening radiological picture despite increased anti-failure treatment a video-assisted surgical biopsy was performed. The histological examination revealed diffuse interstitial pulmonary amyloidosis. This observation underlined the value of looking for this rare cause of cardiac failure and pulmonary infiltration in a situation where the pulmonary images did not improve on diuretics.