Incidentally diagnosed pulmonary nodule: a diagnostic algorithm.

Abstract

Asymptomatic solitary pulmonary nodules incidentally revealed by computed tomography has become a serious medical problem. Depending on their diameter, solid, part-solid, or pure ground-glass pulmonary nodules may be observed, diagnosed radiologically/invasively, or resected in accordance with international guidelines. Pure ground-glass nodules, semi-solid lesions, or solid lesions smaller than 8 mm should be monitored by serial low-dose computed tomography. In the case of solid nodules greater than 8 mm, the assessment of the risk of malignancy is recommended. Patients at high risk of lung cancer with pulmonary lesions should undergo diagnostic investigation, or the nodule should be resected. If the risk of lung cancer is low, the patients may be monitored. Needle aspiration biopsy is the most important invasive method of tumor diagnosis. Cytological or histopathological diagnosis is helpful in appropriate clinical decision making that reduces the risk of unnecessary surgery, decreasing the rate of benign nodule resections and thus reducing the costs of medical treatment.