Investigation of aluminum and iron deposition on metaplastic bones in three patients with diffuse pulmonary ossification

Diffuse pulmonary ossification (DPO) is a rare pulmonary lesion. DPO is typically detected at autopsy rather than premortem. Recently, however, several cases were diagnosed antemortem using computed tomography, high-resolution computed tomography, or video-assisted thoracic surgery. In the present study, we evaluated DPO at autopsy from two patients with post-myocardial infarction (cases 1 and 3) and one patient with duodenal cancer (case 2). Multiple metaplastic bones (nodular in case 1 and 3 or dendriform in case 2) were detected in these three cases. In an attempt to detect aluminum and iron deposition in these metaplastic bones, histochemical investigations were performed. The two nodular types of one and three cases were positive for aluminum and iron, but the dendriform type of case 2 was positive only for aluminum. The depositions occurred in a linear pattern along the calcifying front. It is of great interest that these deposition patterns were similar to those of bones from three previously reported DPO cases and from the bones of hemodialysis patients. It is suggested that these abnormal metal depositions in the calcifying front might disturb the normal mineralization processes of the metaplastic bones, although no morphological abnormality was detected, except for dense black color of calcifying front lines. Further investigations are needed in more patients with DPO to obtain more information on this topic.