One of our pathologists and
myself have been trying to identify some black intracellular pigmentation
in a bronch lavage. We have ruled out carbon, and bleaching the section
did not work, therefore is not melanin. It is a very fine dark black
pigment and appears quite uniform in shape and size. Our pathologist is
thinking that it is lead (the patient is a long time professional painter), but
lead stains are negative. My other thought is aluminum deposits but have
not yet stained for this.
I am hoping someone on the
"Net" may have some idea of what this may be, and if there is a method for
demonstrating it.