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Solitary pulmonary nodules (SPNs) are common incidental findings on chest computed tomography; if CT screening for lung cancer becomes commonplace, the pool of patients with SPNs will expand further. The March 2013 issue of Chest includes two reviews on SPNs: One, on radiologic characteristics, includes 16 images that illustrate the spectrum of SPNs; in the other, researchers present a “practical algorithm” for diagnosis and management.
In brief, the algorithm is as follows:
If possible, obtain old CT images; 2-year stability usually requires no further follow-up.
If no previous images are available, determine whether the SPN is solid or subsolid (subsolid refers to ground-glass nodules through which normal parenchymal structures are visible; …