title: The solitary pulmonary nodule: a primer on differential diagnosis.
abstract: Despite significant advances in noninvasive imaging techniques, management of the solitary pulmonary nodule (SPN) remains a challenge for chest physicians. Patients with SPNs are frequently asymptomatic, and the physical examination is seldom revealing. Accurate diagnosis is essential, because >50% of patients will require prompt disease-specific therapy. The complexity of the problem is best appreciated by reviewing the differential list, which includes nearly 80 distinct clinical entities. Consequently, a thorough understanding of the more common etiologies is necessary to adequately treat patients with SPNs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Section of General Thoracic Surgery, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA.
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Murthy
authors.forename: T W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Rice
mesh_terms: D002277:Carcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D003074:Solitary Pulmonary Nodule / Q000175:diagnosis; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed / Q000592:standards; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000592:standards; D014481:United States