PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Sebastián Fernández-Bussy
AU  - Gonzalo Labarca
AU  - Yumay Pires
AU  - Juan Carlos Díaz
AU  - Iván Caviedes
TI  - Dendriform Pulmonary Ossification
AID  - 10.4187/respcare.03531
DP  - 2015 Apr 01
TA  - Respiratory Care
PG  - e64--e67
VI  - 60
IP  - 4
4099  - http://rc.rcjournal.com/content/60/4/e64.short
4100  - http://rc.rcjournal.com/content/60/4/e64.full
AB  - Dendriform pulmonary ossification is a rare condition often diagnosed by either surgery or postmortem examination. We report a 43-y-old man with a history of nonproductive cough for 1 y. His physical examination was unremarkable. Chest computed tomography showed multiple bilateral micronodules in both lower lobes; however, the patient's pulmonary function was normal. Flexible bronchoscopy with transbronchial biopsies revealed branching ossification. Pulmonary ossification is a chronic process characterized by progressive metaplastic ossification. We reviewed a total of 42 cases of dendriform pulmonary ossification reported in the medical literature: most of these cases were diagnosed by autopsy. Despite its rarity, dendriform pulmonary ossification should be considered in the differential diagnosis of diffuse lung disease. Bronchoscopy with transbronchial biopsies must be considered as a potential diagnostic procedure.