We present a case of rare pitfall in the diagnosis of an oesophageal foreign body due to the calcified vertical plate of the cricoid to highlight the need to be aware of this entity to avoid unnecessary morbidity.
Pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis (PAM) is a rare chronic disease with paucity of symptoms in contrast to the imaging findings. We present a case of a 24-year-old Malay man having an incidental abnormal pre-employment chest radiograph of dense micronodular opacities giving the classical "sandstorm" appearance. High-resolution computed tomography of the lungs showed microcalcifications with subpleural cystic changes. Open lung biopsy showed calcospherites within the alveolar spaces. The radiological and histopathological findings were characteristic of PAM.
180 patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on maintenance dialysis and those who had undergone renal transplantation were questioned retrospectively. 14 patients had consumed excessive quantities of analgesics (greater than 1 kg) prior to the institution of long-term dialysis or transplantation. Sonographic examination done on these patients indicated that 7 had renal papillary necrosis (RPN). The sonographic features were renal papillary calcifications surrounding the central sinus in a complete or incomplete garland pattern. In 5 of these patients RPN is attibutable to the excessive consumption of paracetamol. We have earlier reported 10 cases of RPN due to excessive consumption of paracetamol. Thus 15 cases of RPN attributable to paracetamol consumption (1.0-15.3 kg over a period ranging from 3 to 23 years) have been documented. It is concluded that paracetamol may assume an increasingly important role in the causation of analgesic nephropathy (AN) and ESRD.