title: Volume-doubling time of pulmonary nodules with ground glass opacity at multidetector CT: Assessment with computer-aided three-dimensional volumetry.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the volume-doubling time (VDT) of histologically proved pulmonary nodules showing ground glass opacity (GGO) at multidetector CT (MDCT) using computer-aided three-dimensional volumetry.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively evaluated 47 GGO nodules (mixed n = 28, pure n = 19) that had been examined by thin-section helical CT more than once. They were histologically confirmed as atypical adenomatous hyperplasia (AAH, n = 13), bronchioloalveolar carcinoma (BAC, n = 22), and adenocarcinoma (AC, n = 12). Using computer-aided three-dimensional volumetry software, two radiologists independently performed volumetry of GGO nodules and calculated the VDT using data acquired from the initial and final CT study. We compared VDT among the three pathologies and also compared the VDT of mixed and pure GGO nodules.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean VDT of all GGO nodules was 486.4 ± 368.6 days (range 89.0-1583.0 days). The mean VDT for AAH, BAC, and AC was 859.2 ± 428.9, 421.2 ± 228.4, and 202.1 ± 84.3 days, respectively; there were statistically significant differences for all comparative combinations of AAH, BAC, and AC (Steel-Dwass test, P < .01). The mean VDT for pure and mixed GGO nodules was 628.5 ± 404.2 and 276.9 ± 155.9 days, respectively; it was significantly shorter for mixed than pure GGO nodules (Mann-Whitney U-test, P < .01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The evaluation of VDT using computer-aided volumetry may be helpful in assessing the histological entities of GGO nodules.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Kumamoto University, Japan. seisei0430@nifty.com
authors.forename: Seitaro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oda
authors.forename: Kazuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Awai
authors.forename: Kohei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Murao
authors.forename: Akio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ozawa
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Utsunomiya
authors.forename: Yumi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yanaga
authors.forename: Koichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kawanaka
authors.forename: Yasuyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamashita
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D000368:Aged; D002283:Carcinoma, Bronchogenic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006965:Hyperplasia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015588:Observer Variation; D011857:Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D003074:Solitary Pulmonary Nodule / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D036542:Tomography, Spiral Computed / Q000379:methods*; D047368:Tumor Burden