title: Subsolid pulmonary nodule morphology and associated patient characteristics in a routine clinical population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the presence and morphology of subsolid pulmonary nodules (SSNs) in a non-screening setting and relate them to clinical and patient characteristics.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 16,890 reports of clinically obtained chest CT (06/2011 to 11/2014, single-centre) were searched describing an SSN. Subjects with a visually confirmed SSN and at least two thin-slice CTs were included. Nodule volumes were measured. Progression was defined as volume increase exceeding the software interscan variation. Nodule morphology, location, and patient characteristics were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifteen transient and 74 persistent SSNs were included (median follow-up 19.6 [8.3-36.8] months). Subjects with an SSN were slightly older than those without (62 vs. 58 years; p = 0.01), but no gender predilection was found. SSNs were mostly located in the upper lobes. Women showed significantly more often persistent lesions than men (94 % vs. 69 %; p = 0.002). Part-solid lesions were larger (1638 vs. 383 mm3; p < 0.001) and more often progressive (68 % vs. 38 %; p = 0.02), compared to pure ground-glass nodules. Progressive SSNs were rare under the age of 50 years. Logistic regression analysis did not identify additional nodule parameters of future progression, apart from part-solid nature.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study confirms previously reported characteristics of SSNs and associated factors in a European, routine clinical population.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  • SSNs in women are significantly more often persistent compared to men. • SSN persistence is not associated with age or prior malignancy. • The majority of (persistent) SSNs are located in the upper lung lobes. • A part-solid nature is associated with future nodule growth. • Progressive solitary SSNs are rare under the age of 50 years.
authors.affiliation: Radiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands. o.m.mets@umcutrecht.nl.
authors.forename: Onno M
authors.initials: OM
authors.lastname: Mets
authors.affiliation: Radiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Pim A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: de Jong
authors.affiliation: Diagnostic Imaging Analysis Group, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Ernst Th
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Scholten
authors.affiliation: Diagnostic Imaging Analysis Group, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Kaman
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.affiliation: Diagnostic Imaging Analysis Group, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Bram
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: van Ginneken
authors.affiliation: Diagnostic Imaging Analysis Group, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.|Radiology, Meander Medical Center, Amersfoort, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Cornelia M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Schaefer-Prokop
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012737:Sex Factors; D003074:Solitary Pulmonary Nodule / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
keywords: Adenocarcinoma; Computed tomography; Disease management; Ground-glass; Solitary pulmonary nodule