[Idiopathic pulmonary ossification]

Linear and round shadows are very often revealed on chest radiographs. A rare entity most commonly appearing as branching linear shadows of calcific density involving a limited area of the lung is the so-called disseminated pulmonary ossification (DPO). Only 141 cases have been reported worldwide up to now since the first description.

A study on 490 autopsies was performed to find out the frequency of DPO. In case of DPO we compared the structures with the chest radiographs and CT of the patients. Further, we evaluate clinical communities of patients with DPO.

From a total of 490 lungs eight were identified with DPO (1.6%). The mean age of patients with DPO was 80.2 years, the male/female ratio seven to one (mean age of all patients: 64.6 years, male/female ratio one to one). All cases were associated with hypertension followed by extreme arteriosclerosis. In 5 cases there was a proven extrapulmonary carcinoma and a renal insufficiency. In 4 cases we found diabetes mellitus. At postmortem radiographs and CT, a collection of small rounded calcific nodules and further linear shadows arranged in a branching or net-like configuration was identified. This was compared with the chest radiographs of the patients. There were no dysfunctions of lungs due to DPO.

In chest radiographs of elderly men the differential diagnosis "DPO" should be given more importance.