title: Comparing 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography and Video-assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery in the Evaluation of Small Pulmonary Nodules in Patients with a History of Malignancy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aims of the study were to determine the accuracy of fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) in detecting pulmonary metastasis through video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), a technique that allows the excisional biopsy of small pulmonary nodules in patients with known malignancies.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between October 2007 and April 2010, 28 patients with known malignancies and small pulmonary nodules underwent VATS excisional biopsies. All patients were in follow-up for a previously treated malignancy. The malignancies included the following: colorectum (9), breast (6), head and neck (5), stomach (3), lymph (1), ovary (1), uterus (1), bladder (1), and liver (1).
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 16 men and 12 women whose mean age was 56.7 years old (range, 38 to 77 years). The sizes of the mean nodules removed were 11.3 mm (range, 7 to 21 mm). Diagnoses included metastatic (11), bronchioloalveolar carcinoma (1), primary adenocarcinoma (1), pulmonary tuberculosis (6), fibrosis (5), organizing pneumonia (3), lymphoid hyperplasia (1). Among these lesions, 46.4% were malignant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  True positive FDG-PET was 39.2%. FDG-PET is not a sensitive test in the evaluation of patients with a history of an extrathoracic malignancy and newly diagnosed small pulmonary nodules. VATS excision allows the early diagnosis of small pulmonary nodules, with low morbidity, in patients with known malignancies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Korea.
authors.forename: Hong Kyu
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Sung Woo
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Hee Sung
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Kun Il
authors.initials: KI
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hyoung Soo
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Seong Joon
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Cho