[Features of excised pulmonary nodules in 100 patients]

Pulmonary nodules are common, and surgery is the only alternative that allows a diagnostic and therapeutic management in a single procedure.

To report the epidemiological, radiological, surgical and pathological features of excised pulmonary nodules.

Review of medical records of patients in whom a pulmonary nodule was excised between 2014 and 2018. Those with incomplete data or without a pathological study were excluded from analysis.

We retrieved 108 records and 8 had to be excluded, therefore 100 patients aged 34 to 82 years (57% females) were analyzed. Sixty percent had a history of smoking. Mean nodule size was 16 mm and the solid type was the most common (65%). Forty five percent of nodules had irregular margins and 55% were in the superior lobes. All patients operated by video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery and 40% underwent a lobectomy. Malignant lesions were observed in 87% of biopsies and a pulmonary adenocarcinoma was found in pathology in 40%.

A multidisciplinary approach of pulmonary nodules, using adapted international guidelines, accomplishes an appropriate management, decreasing unnecessary surgical interventions.