Amyloid deposits in the trachea and esophagus ultrastructural confirmation

The clinical details of two patients suffering from amyloid infiltration of the trachea and esophagus respectively are presented. The "amyloid tumor" in the trachea presented with dysphonia and a swelling in the lower subglottic region. Attempts at complete surgical excision of it were unsuccessful. The patient with esophageal amyloid presented acutely with dysphagia and features of dehydration and malnutrition. Systematized amyloidosis was discovered at autopsy, but no primary initiating cause for it was found. In both cases it was possible to confirm the diagnosis by electron microscopy. The current views on the composition, structure, causation and treatment of amyloid disease are reviewed.