Computed tomography quantitative analysis of components: a new method monitoring the growth of pulmonary nodule

The estimation of the growth of solitary pulmonary nodules by using non-invasive methods is increasingly gaining clinical importance for performing the timely adequate treatment of these nodules.

To evaluate the application value of computed tomography (CT) quantitative analysis of components for dynamic assessment of the growth of solitary pulmonary nodules, and compare this approach with three-dimensional (3D) volumetric measurement of pulmonary nodules.

The imaging data of 21 patients who had undergone multiple follow-up CT scans for solitary pulmonary nodules were retrospectively analyzed, and the total volume of pulmonary nodules and the percentage change in the total volume of pulmonary nodules after multiple follow-up CT scans were measured using 3D volume measurement software. The volume of solid components in pulmonary nodules was measured using CT quantitative analysis; the percentage change in the volume of solid components across examinations was calculated; and the percentage change in the total volume of pulmonary nodules was compared and contrasted with the percentage change in the volume of solid components in the pulmonary nodules.

All 21 cases were malignant adenocarcinomas. In the 21 cases of malignant nodules, the 3D volumes of the nodules and solid components were both increased, with the percentage change in the volume of the solid components (115.78-418.91%, 130.45 ± 119.48) significantly different from the percentage change in the total volume of the nodules (78.56-105.73% , 42.34 ± 32.17) (P = 0.02).

By measuring volume changes in solid components in the nodules, CT quantitative analysis offers more sensitive and earlier evaluation of the dynamic growth of the nodules than measurement of volume changes in the nodules alone.