• 1. Department of Thoracic Surgery, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100053, P. R. China;
  • 2. Department of Radiology, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100053, P. R. China;
  • 3. Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100053, P. R. China;
  • 4. Department of Pathology, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100053, P. R. China;
  • 5. Endoscopic Center, Plastic Surger Hospital, Chinese Academy Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100144, P. R. China;
WEI Xiuqin, Email: weixq8888@163.com
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Objective  To explore the diagnosis and treatment strategies for elderly patients with ground-glass opacity (GGO) by reviewing the clinical data such as imaging features, surgical methods, postoperative pathological results and average hospital stay. Methods The imaging features and postoperative pathological findings of the elderly patients with pulmonary GGO in our hospital from January 2017 to December 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into an elderly patient group and a non-elderly patient group based on their age. Results  Finally 575 patients were included in the study. There were 281 elderly patients, including 83 males and 198 females, with an average age of 67.0±5.3 years. There were 294 non-elderly patients, including 88 males and 206 females, with an average age of 49.1±7.3 years. Compared with the non-elderly patients, elderly GGO patients showed the following distinct clinical features: the lesions were observed for a long time (P<0.001), the GGO margin was not smooth (P<0.001), the pleural signs (P<0.05) and bronchial signs (P<0.05) were obvious, there were more patients of type Ⅱ to Ⅳ GGO (P<0.001), more patients of lobectomy (P<0.05), and more patients of postoperative pathological reports of infiltrating lesions (P<0.05). There was no statistical difference in the average length of stay between the two groups (P>0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that GGO diameter and GGO type were the main factors affecting the operation. Observation time, GGO diameter and GGO type were the main influencing factors for postoperative pathological infiltrative lesions. The cut-off value of GGO diameter in predicting infiltrating lesions was 10.5 mm in the elderly group. Conclusion  The size and type of GGO are important factors in predicting invasive lesions and selecting surgical methods. Elderly patients with radiographic manifestations of type Ⅱ to Ⅳ GGO lesions with a diameter greater than 10.5 mm should be closely followed.