CTICasesRelapsing Polychondritis
Imaging findings
Chest CT shows thickening and calcification of the cartilaginous portions of the trachea and main bronchi with resultant airway stenosis, including a markedly narrowed bronchus intermedius; incidental head CT in the same patient shows calcification of the cartilaginous portions of the ears (pinna) and external auditory canals.
Key takeaways
These findings represent a later, burned-out stage of relapsing polychondritis, in which chronic cartilage inflammation progresses from thickening to scarring and dystrophic calcification of the airway and auricular cartilage; extending the search for calcified cartilage beyond the airway, for example to the ears, can reinforce the diagnosis in an established or longstanding case.
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