REVIEW   

Minerva Pneumologica 2017 September;56(3):175-90

DOI: 10.23736/S0026-4954.17.01793-X

Copyright © 2017 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Evaluation of pulmonary nodules: an update

Humberto K. CHOI ✉, Peter J. MAZZONE

Cleveland Clinic, Respiratory Institute, Cleveland, OH, USA

Pulmonary nodules (PN) are common findings on chest imaging performed for symptom evaluation or as a part of a lung cancer screening program. Accurate diagnosis of PNs is a challenge to both clinicians and radiologists. The goal is to identify early stage lung cancers while minimizing testing for benign nodules. The approach to the evaluation of a PN depends on the setting in which it was found, its size and attenuation on computed tomography scan (solid versus subsolid), the patient’s comorbidities and preferences, as well as local resources. Guidelines for management of solid and subsolid PNs are available. In this review, we will discuss recommendations for clinical evaluation of PNs, recent advances in malignancy risk prediction, and methods for tissue diagnosis.

KEY WORDS: Multiple pulmonary nodules - Lung neoplasms - Diagnosis