Diffuse Intervertebral Disk Calcification in Primary Amyloidosis
Authors: STANLEY P. BALLOU
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1976)

Letters1 November 1976Diffuse Intervertebral Disk Calcification in Primary AmyloidosisSTANLEY P. BALLOU, M.D., MUHAMMAD ASIM KHAN, M.D., M.R.C.P., IRVING KUSHNER, M.D., F.A.C.P.STANLEY P. BALLOU, M.D.Search for more papers by this author, MUHAMMAD ASIM KHAN, M.D., M.R.C.P.Search for more papers by this author, IRVING KUSHNER, M.D., F.A.C.P.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-85-5-616 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptDiffuse calcification of many lumbar and thoracic intervertebral disks has been thought to be highly suggestive, if not pathognomonic, of ochronosis. A patient with widespread intervertebral disk calcification that was unexplained during life, was found at autopsy to have primary amyloidosis with infiltration of the intervertebral disks by both amyloid deposits and calcification. This association has not been noted previously. Amyloidosis may be responsible for diffuse intervertebral disk calcification.In December 1962, a 63-year-old Puerto Rican musician was noted to have calcification of several thoracic intervertebral disks on routine chest Xray. In 1965 an upper gastrointestinal contrast X-ray examination, performed...References1. KYLEBAYRD RE: Amyloidosis: review of 236 cases. Medicine (Baltimore) 54:271-299, 1975 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. BRANDTCATHCARTCOHEN KEA: A clinical analysis of the course and prognosis of forty-two patients with amyloidosis. Am J Med 44:955-969, 1968 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. WIERNIK P: Amyloid joint disease. Medicine (Baltimore) 51:465-479, 1972 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. WEISS L: Isolated multiple nodular pulmonary amyloidosis. Am J Clin Pathol 33:318-329, 1960 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. KOLETSKYSTECHER SR: Primary systemic amyloidosis: involvement of cardiac valves, joints and bones, with pathologic fracture of the femur. Arch Path 27:267-288, 1939 Google Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Department of Medicine Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine at Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital Cleveland OH 44109 PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited ByWhat are the possibilities of spontaneous resorption of a thoracic disc herniation occupying more than 20% of the spinal canal in the asymptomatic subject? Comparative studyAnalysis of X-Ray Symptomatology of Ochronotic Arthropathy in SpineDegenerative Diseases and Pain SyndromesLes calcifications discalesAmyloid Fibril Formation and Seeding by Wild-Type Human Lysozyme and Its Disease-Related Mutational VariantsStoffwechselkrankheitenCalcium Pyrophosphate Dihydrate Crystal Deposition Disease As a Cause of Lumbar Canal StenosisGlycosaminoglycans in intervertebral disc amyloid depositsAmyloid in intervertebral discs of surgery and autopsy materialAmyloid in intervertebral discs: a histopathological investigation of surgical material from 100 consecutive operations on herniated discs.Destructive spondylarthropathy in hemodialyzed patients: Possible role of amyloidosisAge-associated amyloid deposition in surgically-removed herniated intervertebral discsGelenkeAmyloid deposition in intervertebral discs of senescence-accelerated mouseThe Pathology of the SpineIntervertebral disc calcification in adults: A review 1 November 1976Volume 85, Issue 5Page: 616-617KeywordsAmyloidosisAutopsyHispanic peopleThorax Issue Published: 1 November 1976 PDF DownloadLoading ...