title: Respiratory Tract Amyloidosis. State-of-the-Art Review with a Focus on Pulmonary Involvement.
abstract: Amyloidosis is a constellation of disease entities characterized by abnormal extracellular deposition and accumulation of protein and protein derivatives, which show apple-green birefringence when stained with Congo red and viewed under polarized light. Amyloid can infiltrate virtually all organ systems and can display multiple and diverse imaging findings. Pathologically, respiratory involvement occurs in 50 % of patients with amyloidosis, and its clinical signs and symptoms vary depending on whether the disease is systemic or localized. The four main patterns of respiratory tract involvement are tracheobronchial, nodular parenchymal, diffuse alveolar septal, and lymphatic. Imaging findings of amyloidosis are nonspecific and vary in each pattern; knowledge about the disease impairment type is thus very important, and amyloidosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of other very common diseases, such as infectious diseases, neoplasms, and vasculitis. This literature review describes the main clinical and imaging manifestations of amyloidosis, focusing on respiratory tract involvement and differential diagnosis.
authors: Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rua Thomaz Cameron, 438, Valparaiso, Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 25685.120, Brazil.
authors: Renata Rocha
authors: RR
authors: de Almeida
authors: Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rua Thomaz Cameron, 438, Valparaiso, Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 25685.120, Brazil.
authors: Gláucia
authors: G
authors: Zanetti
authors: Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Brazil.
authors: Jorge Luiz
authors: JL
authors: Pereira E Silva
authors: Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Brazil.
authors: Cesar Augusto Araujo
authors: CA
authors: Neto
authors: Hospital Beneficência Portuguesa and Med Imagem, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors: Antônio Carlos Portugal
authors: AC
authors: Gomes
authors: Federal University of São Paulo and Fleury Group, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors: Gustavo de Souza Portes
authors: GS
authors: Meirelles
authors: Hospital São Lucas - PUCRS, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
authors: Thiago Krieger Bento
authors: TK
authors: da Silva
authors: Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil.
authors: Luiz Felipe
authors: LF
authors: Nobre
authors: Santa Casa de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
authors: Bruno
authors: B
authors: Hochhegger
authors: Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil.
authors: Dante Luiz
authors: DL
authors: Escuissato
authors: Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rua Thomaz Cameron, 438, Valparaiso, Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 25685.120, Brazil. edmarchiori@gmail.com.
authors: Edson
authors: E
authors: Marchiori
mesh_terms: D000686:Amyloidosis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012137:Respiratory System / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
keywords: Amyloidosis; Computed tomography; Imaging; Lung diseases