CT-guided harpoon marking a ground-glass infiltrate: A case report

Area of Science:

• Pulmonology
• Thoracic Surgery
• Diagnostic Imaging

Background:

• Characterizing suspicious pulmonary lesions via biopsy is challenging.
• Video thoracoscopic surgery is vital for lung nodule biopsies.
• Accurate localization of small, deep, or subsolid nodules is difficult without digital palpation.

Observation:

• A 49-year-old female incidentally found with a ground-glass infiltrate during abdominal CT.
• The nodule was located in the anteromedial segment of the lower lobe of the left lung.
• Physical examination revealed normal lung auscultation.

Findings:

• CT-guided harpoon marking was employed for precise localization of the subsolid lung nodule.
• Subsequent pathology confirmed lepidic pattern adenocarcinoma.
• The harpoon marking technique demonstrated efficacy in enhancing surgical precision.

Implications:

• CT-guided harpoon marking improves the accuracy of surgical biopsies for pulmonary nodules.
• Enhanced precision facilitates individualized treatment strategies and follow-up plans.
• This technique is valuable for managing patients with subsolid lung nodules.