Diffuse Tracheo-bronchial Amyloidosis: A Rare Variant of a Protean Disease

Abstract

In 1958 one of us (C.B.P.) reviewed a series of cases in which amyloid deposits occurred exclusively in the lower respiratory tract. Most of the patients had diffuse infiltration of the trachea and bronchial passages with amyloid material deposited under an intact mucosa in a manner to cause intrinsic narrowing. The designa-tion 'diffuse tracheo-bronchial amyloidosis ' was suggested for this condition, of which two new examples were described. One patient had died before the 1958 paper was published, though no necropsy had been obtained; here we report the death of the second patient and give a detailed account of the necropsy findings.