The Fate of Patients with Solitary Pulmonary Nodules: Clinical Management and Radiation Exposure Associated.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The appropriate management of the large number of lung nodules detected during the course of routine medical care presents a challenge. We aimed to evaluate the usual clinical practice in solitary pulmonary nodule (SPN) management and associated radiation exposure.

Methods

We examined 893 radiology reports of consecutive patients undergoing chest computed tomography (CT) and radiography at two public hospitals in Spain. Information on diagnostic procedures from SPN detection and lung cancer diagnosis was collected prospectively for 18 months.

Results

More than 20% of patients with SPN detected on either chest radiograph (19.8%) or CT (26.1%) underwent no additional interventions and none developed lung cancer (100% negative predictive value). 346 (72.0%) pa

SUBMITTER: Lumbreras B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4938621 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature