ObjectiveTo summarize the clinical experience of surgical resection of synchronous multiple ground-glass nodules (SMGN), and explore the individualized diagnosis and treatment strategy of SMGN.MethodsClinical data of 84 patients with SMGN who underwent thoracic surgery in Anhui Chest Hospital from July 2016 to August 2018 were analyzed retrospectively, including 18 males (21.4%) and 66 females (78.6%), aged 32-80 (55.6±10.3) years. The results of operation and the information of GGNs were analyzed.ResultsExcept for 1 patient who was converted to thoracotomy due to extensive dense adhesion of thoracic, other patients underwent video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery successfully. All patients recuperated successfully after operation, without severe perioperative complications or death. Finally, 79 patients were diagnosed as malignant tumors (94.0%), and 5 patients of benign lesions (6.0%). A total of 240 GGNs were removed, among which there were 168 pGGNs, including 68 benign lesions (40.5%) and 100 malignant tumors (59.5%), and 72 mGGNs, including 2 benign nodules (2.8%) and 70 malignant tumors (97.2%). Nodules diameter (P<0.001), consolidation/maximum diameter of nodule ratio (P<0.001), vacuole sign (P<0.001), air bronchograms sign (P=0.001), spine-like process (P=0.001), pleural indentation sign (P<0.001), lobulation sign (P<0.001), and vascular convergence (P=0.002) were correlated with malignant tumor.ConclusionAnalysis of the imaging features of GGNs by thin-section CT scan and three-dimensional reconstruction is of great value in predicting the benign and malignant nodules, which can guide the surgical decision-making and preoperative planning. Through reasonable preoperative planning and following certain principles, simultaneous surgical treatment for SMGN is safe and feasible.
Objective To explore the correlation between the imaging features of peripheral ground-glass pulmonary nodules and the invasion degree of lung adenocarcinoma, and the high risk factors for infiltrating lung adenocarcinoma under thin-slice CT, which provides some reference for clinicians to plan the surgical methods of pulmonary nodules before operation and to better communicate with patients, and assists in building a clinical predictive model for invasive adenocarcinoma. MethodsClinical data of the patients with peripheral ground-glass pulmonary nodules (diameter≤3 cm) in thin-slice chest CT in the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from January 2019 to January 2020 were continuously collected. All patients underwent thin-slice CT scan and thoracoscopic surgery in our center. According to the pathological examination results, they were divided into two groups: an adenocarcinoma lesions before infiltration group, and an invasive lung adenocarcinoma group. The thin-slice CT imaging parameters of pulmonary nodules were collected. The nodular diameter, mean CT value, consolidation tumor ratio (CTR), nodular shape, vacuolar sign, bronchial air sign, lobulation sign, burr sign, lesion boundary, pleural depression sign, vascular cluster sign and other clinical data were collected. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to analyze the independent risk factors for the infiltrating lung adenocarcinoma, and to analyze the threshold value and efficacy of each factor for the identification of infiltrating lung adenocarcinoma. Results Finally 190 patients were enrolled. There were 110 patients in the adenocarcinoma lesions before infiltration group, including 21 males and 89 females with a mean age of 53.57±10.90 years, and 80 patients in the invasive lung adenocarcinoma group, including 31 males and 49 females with a mean age of 56.45±11.30 years. There was a statistical difference in the mean CT value, nodular diameter, CTR, gender, smoking, nodular type, nodular shape, vacuolar sign, lobulation sign, burr sign, lesion boundary, pleural depression sign, vascular cluster sign between the two groups (P＜0.05). However, there was no statistical difference between the two groups in age (P=0.081), lesion site (P=0.675), and bronchial air sign (P=0.051). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that nodular diameter, mean CT value, CTR and lobulation sign were independent risk factors for differentiating preinvasive adenocarcinoma from invasive adenocarcinoma. At the same time, the threshold value was calculated by Youden index, indicating that the CTR was 0.45, the nodal diameter was 10.5 mm and the mean CT value was –452 Hu. Conclusion In the peripheral ground-glass pulmonary nodules, according to the patient's CT imaging features, such as mixed ground-glass nodules, irregular shapes, vacuoles, short burrs, clear boundaries, pleural indentations, and vascular clusters, have a certain reference value in the discrimination of the invasion degree of ground-glass pulmonary nodules. At the same time, it is found in this research that peripheral ground-glass pulmonary nodules with diameter greater than 10.5 mm, CT value greater than –452 Hu, CTR greater than 0.45 and lobulation sign are more likely to be infiltrating lung adenocarcinoma.