title: Intravascular calcium deposits in a critically ill patient. Light- and electron-microscopic findings.
abstract: We describe a case of a 2-year-old girl with an unusual finding of amorphous hematoxyphilic substance in the pulmonary and myocardial vascular lumina. The patient had a prolonged history of intestinal obstruction necessitating extended periods of total parenteral nutrition. The patient terminally had hypercalcemia with levels reaching 4.63 mmol/L. The intravascular substance stains strongly positive for calcium, and weakly positive for fibrin. Electron microscopy shows that the substance has a distinctive configuration suggestive of calcium hydroxyapatite crystals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio.
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Hamoudi
authors.forename: C T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Singley
authors.forename: D H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Teitelbaum
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Thornton
authors.forename: C W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Broner
mesh_terms: D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000473:pathology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002118:Calcium / Q000097:blood*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000473:pathology; D016638:Critical Illness; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000098:blood supply; D008854:Microscopy, Electron
chemical_list: D002118:Calcium