Intraalveolar phospholipid accumulation

What it means

Accumulation of amorphous PAS-positive material in the space between alveolar macrophages, sometimes as condensed form (oval bodies) are typically found in alveolar proteinosis.

The periodic acid Schiff (PAS) staining is a staining method that detects polysaccharidese and mucosubstances, for example: glycogen, glyolipids, glyoproteins and mucins. It is one of the commonly used procedures in the histophathology laboratory and is easy to perform. It may help in discriminating different forms of interstitial lung disease (ILD), especially pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP).

Rare diseases that can present with this3

The range is how often this sign appears among people diagnosed with each disease — it is not a probability of having any of them. Many of these signs also occur in common, non-rare conditions. A sign on this page is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a conclusion.

Part of the broader category

Also called: Alveolar proteinosis · Detection of PAS-positive extracellular material in broncho-alveolar lavage · Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis