Minimally invasive techniques for the diagnosis of peripheral pulmonary nodules.
OBJECTIVE
Evaluation and management of patients with pulmonary nodules continue to be a significant clinical challenge due to the possibility of malignancy.


RESULTS
With advances in technology, several minimally invasive diagnostic options are available for diagnosis of peripheral pulmonary lesions. Development and refinement of minimally invasive sampling techniques will aid in clinical decision making, as well as help advance scientific understanding of lung cancer growth and metastasis.


CONCLUSIONS
Although most surgical candidates should be referred promptly for resection, transthoracic or bronchoscopic biopsy may be particularly helpful when an infectious cause is suspected, when the patient is a marginal or poor candidate for surgery, or when a surgical candidate desires proof of malignancy before proceeding to surgery.Newer minimally invasive techniques should be rigorously evaluated for their role in the diagnostic algorithm of peripheral lung lesions.
VA Palo Alto Healthcare System, Stanford University School of Medicine, California 94304, USA. ganesh.krishna@stanford.edu
Ganesh
G
Krishna
Michael K
MK
Gould
D000465:Algorithms; D001706:Biopsy / Q000379:methods; D001999:Bronchoscopy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D003074:Solitary Pulmonary Nodule / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D013906:Thoracoscopy