ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical feasibility and safety of CT-guided percutaneous microwave ablation for peripheral solitary pulmonary nodules.MethodsThe imaging and clinical data of 33 patients with pulmonary nodule less than 3 cm in diameter treated by CT-guided microwave ablation treatment (PMAT) in our hospital from July 2018 to December 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 21 males and 12 females aged 38-90 (67.6±13.4) years. Among them, 26 patients were confirmed with lung cancer by biopsy and 7 patients were clinically considered as partial malignant lesions. The average diameter of 33 nodules was 0.6-3.0 (1.8±0.6) cm. The 3- and 6-month follow-up CT was performed to evaluate the therapy method by comparing the diameter and enhancement degree of lesions with 1-month CT manifestation. Short-term treatment analysis including complete response (CR), partial response (PR), stable disease (SD) and progressive disease (PD) was calculated according to the WHO modified response evaluation criteria in solid tumor (mRECIST) for short-term efficacy evaluation. Eventually the result of response rate (RR) was calculated. Progression-free survival was obtained by Kaplan–Meier analysis.ResultsCT-guided percutaneous microwave ablation was successfully conducted in all patients. Three patients suffered slight pneumothorax. There were 18 (54.5%) patients who achieved CR, 9 (27.3%) patients PR, 4 (12.1%) patients SD and 2 (6.1%) patients PD. The short-term follow-up effective rate was 81.8%. Logistic analysis demonstrated that primary and metastatic pulmonary nodules had no difference in progression-free time (log-rank P=0.624).ConclusionPMAT is of high success rate for the treatment of solitary pulmonary nodules without severe complications, which can be used as an effective alternative treatment for nonsurgical candidates.
Objective To develop an innovative recognition algorithm that aids physicians in the identification of pulmonary nodules. MethodsPatients with pulmonary nodules who underwent thoracoscopic surgery at the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School in December 2023, were enrolled in the study. Chest surface exploration data were collected at a rate of 60 frames per second and a resolution of 1 920×1 080. Frame images were saved at regular intervals for subsequent block processing. An algorithm database for lung nodule recognition was developed using the collected data. ResultsA total of 16 patients were enrolled, including 9 males and 7 females, with an average age of (54.9±14.9) years. In the optimized multi-topology convolutional network model, the test results demonstrated an accuracy rate of 94.39% for recognition tasks. Furthermore, the integration of micro-variation amplification technology into the convolutional network model enhanced the accuracy of lung nodule identification to 96.90%. A comprehensive evaluation of the performance of these two models yielded an overall recognition accuracy of 95.59%. Based on these findings, we conclude that the proposed network model is well-suited for the task of lung nodule recognition, with the convolutional network incorporating micro-variation amplification technology exhibiting superior accuracy. Conclusion Compared to traditional methods, our proposed technique significantly enhances the accuracy of lung nodule identification and localization, aiding surgeons in locating lung nodules during thoracoscopic surgery.
ObjectiveTo reveal and demonstrate the hotspots and further research directions in screening technology for early lung cancer, and provide references for the future studies. MethodsResearches related to lung cancer screening from 2011 to 2021 in the Web of Science database were included. Biblioshiny, a bibliometrics program based on R language, was used to perform content analysis and visualization of the included literature information. ResultsResearches related to lung cancer screening were increasing year by year. Six major cooperation groups were formed between countries. The current research hotspots in the field of early lung cancer screening technology mainly focused on the multi-directional fusion of radiographic imaging, liquid biopsy and artificial intelligence. ConclusionLow-dose spiral CT screening is still the most important and mainstream method for the screening of early lung cancer at present. The combination and integration of artificial intelligence with various screening methods and the innovation of novel testing and diagnostic equipment are the current research hotspots and the future research trend in this field.
Objective To develop a preliminary "pulmonary nodule symptom scale" based on the Delphi method, providing a tailored, standardized, normalized, and promotable symptomatic evaluation tool for the efficacy assessment of pulmonary nodule patients treated with traditional Chinese medicine or integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine interventions. Methods A preliminary pool of scale items was formed through literature review, interviews with doctors and patients, and reference to guidelines and consensus on pulmonary nodules and patient-reported outcome (PRO) scales related to lung cancer. Two rounds of expert consultation were conducted using the Delphi method. Based on the concentration and variation indicators of expert evaluations, and considering experts’ suggestions for specific item deletions and modifications, a core group meeting was held to screen and refine the scale items. Results Invitations were sent to 54 experts, with 51 accepting the consultation. The active coefficient for the first round of consultation was 94.4%, and for the second round, it was 100%. The average authority coefficient for the 51 experts was 0.896. The Kendall’s coefficient of concordance and the average coefficient of variation for the first and second rounds of consultation were 0.215 (P<0.001) and (0.34±0.07), 0.162 (P<0.001) and (0.24±0.05), respectively. Through two rounds of Delphi expert consultation, a preliminary "pulmonary nodule symptom scale" covering 17 items across four dimensions - respiratory symptoms, systemic manifestations, psychological state, and overall assessment - was formed. Conclusion The experts participating in this Delphi consultation had high authority and enthusiasm, and they have a good level of acceptance and consistency for the preliminary "pulmonary nodule symptom scale". Subsequent empirical research will be conducted on a large sample cohort of pulmonary nodule patients to verify the scale’s stability and effectiveness.
ObjectivesTo investigate the influence of scanning parameters (tube voltages and tube currents) on image quality and corresponding radiation doses with simulated lung nodules in chest CT.MethodsThe anthropomorphic chest phantoms with 12 simulated, randomly placed nodules of different diameters and densities in the chest were scanned by different scanning parameters. The detection rate, degree of nodular deformation, image quality (with both subjective and objective evaluation) and the corresponding radiation doses were recorded and evaluated, and the correlation between nodule detection rate, degree of nodular deformation, radiation dose and image quality using different scanning parameters was analyzed.ResultsThe image quality improved with the increase of tube voltage and tube current (P<0.05). When the tube current was constant, the CT values of the vertebral decreased gradually with the increase of tube voltages (P<0.05); however, significant difference was not detected in CT values of the lung field (P>0.05). When the tube current was 100 mAs, the lung nodules with CT values of +100 HU and ?630 HU showed statistical difference when using different tube voltage (P<0.05); but there was no significant difference in nodules of ?800 HU (P=0.57). When tube voltage was 100 kV and 120 kV each, it was possible to detect all lung nodules with a detection rate of 100%. The detection rate was 33% and 66% in 3 mm diameter when the tube current was 80 kV/15 mA and 80 kV/20 mA, respectively. The nodules deformation in nodules with a CT value of ?630 HU and diameter less than 5 mm was the most prominent (P<0.05). After analyzing the relationship between image quality and radiation doses using different tube voltages, we established a system of correlation equations: 80 kV: Y=2.625X+0.038; 100 kV: Y=14.66X+0.158; 120 kV: Y=18.59X+0.093.ConclusionsThe image quality improves with the increase of tube current and tube voltage, as well as the corresponding radiation doses. By reducing the tube voltage and increasing the tube current appropriately, the radiation doses can be reduced. Follow-up CT examination of pulmonary ground glass nodules should apply the same tube voltage imaging parameters, so as to effectively reduce the measurement error of nodule density and evaluate the change of nodules more accurately.
Objective To identify the potential factors for psychological burdens and to better understand how the patients’ psychological status affect their treatment preferences. Methods A questionnaire survey was conducted among 996 patients with pulmonary nodules who visited the Thoracic Surgery Clinic of Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital from January to November 2021, including 381 males and 615 females, aged 47.26±11.53 years. A self-administrated questionnaire was used to investigate the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of the patients, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was used to evaluate the psychological status of the patients, with a score>7 points of each subscale indicating potential anxiety or depression. Results Among the 996 patients with pulmonary nodules, the incidence of anxiety was 42.4% and the incidence of depression was 26.4%, while the incidence of both anxiety and depression was 24.7%. There was a significant correlation between anxiety and depression (ρ=0.834, P<0.05). Age, purpose of CT examination, number of pulmonary nodules and symptoms were independent factors for anxiety, while symptoms and number of pulmonary nodules were independent factors for depression (P<0.05). For treatment preferences, there was a statistical difference in educational level, symptoms, nodule size and anxiety level (P<0.05). Conclusion Anxiety and depression are common in patients with pulmonary nodules. Symptoms are associated with anxiety and depression, which also make an impact on treatment preferences.
Automatic detection of pulmonary nodule based on computer tomography (CT) images can significantly improve the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer. However, there is a lack of effective interactive tools to record the marked results of radiologists in real time and feed them back to the algorithm model for iterative optimization. This paper designed and developed an online interactive review system supporting the assisted diagnosis of lung nodules in CT images. Lung nodules were detected by the preset model and presented to doctors, who marked or corrected the lung nodules detected by the system with their professional knowledge, and then iteratively optimized the AI model with active learning strategy according to the marked results of radiologists to continuously improve the accuracy of the model. The subset 5?9 dataset of the lung nodule analysis 2016(LUNA16) was used for iteration experiments. The precision, F1-score and MioU indexes were steadily improved with the increase of the number of iterations, and the precision increased from 0.213 9 to 0.565 6. The results in this paper show that the system not only uses deep segmentation model to assist radiologists, but also optimizes the model by using radiologists' feedback information to the maximum extent, iteratively improving the accuracy of the model and better assisting radiologists.
ObjectiveTo analyze the incidence and drainage pattern of the specific collateral vein (VL) located between several adjacent segments of the bilateral upper lung, and its clinical significance in the surgical treatment of early lung cancer. MethodsThe preoperative three-dimensional computed tomography bronchography and angiography (3D CTBA) data of 1 515 patients in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from 2017 to 2020 were analyzed retrospectively, including 524 males and 991 females, with an average age of 54.27±11.43 years. There were 712 patients of right upper lung and 803 patients of left upper lung. The incidence and drainage pattern of VL in bilateral upper lungs were analyzed. Furthermore, the imaging data and medical records of 113 patients in the left upper lung were reviewed to investigate the influence of the relative position relationship between nodules and VL on the selection of operation. ResultsThe overall incidence of VL was 72.7% (1102/1 515) in the bilateral upper lungs, including 68.0% (484/712) in the right upper lung, and 77.0% (618/803) in the left upper lung. The incidence of VL in the left side was significantly higher than that in the right side (P＜0. 05). VL mainly drained into V2a+b (327/484, 67.6%) in the right upper lung and into V1+2b+c (389/618, 62.9%) in the left upper lung. When the spherical simulative cutting margin of 2 cm of the nodule did not involve VL, it was more feasible to undergo sublobectomy than those whose simulative cutting margin of 2 cm involved VL, and the difference was statistically significant (91.9% vs. 61.5%, P＜0.05). When the spherical simulative cutting margin of 2 cm of nodule involved VL, the lesion located in the middle or inner zone was more feasible to undergo lobectomy than that in the outer zone, but the difference was not statistically significant (43.8% vs. 34.8%, P＞0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that diameter of the lesion, whether the spherical simulative margin of 2 cm involving VL and the depth ratio of the lesion were independent risk factors affecting the surgical options (P<0.05). ConclusionThe incidence of the specific collateral vein in bilateral upper lungs is high, and the drainage pattern is diverse, which has important guiding significance for preoperative planning and intraoperative manipulation. For deep nodules adjacent to VL, lobectomy or resection of left upper division is often performed to ensure a safe margin.
Objective To investigate the accuracy of 18F-FDG positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) combined with CT three-dimensional reconstruction (CT-3D) in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant pulmonary nodules. Methods The clinical data of patients who underwent pulmonary nodule surgery in the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital from July 2020 to August 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. The preoperative 18F-FDG PET/CT and chest enhanced CT-3D and other imaging data were extracted. The parameters with diagnostic significance were screened by the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC). Three prediction models, including PET/CT prediction model (MOD PET), CT-3D prediction model (MOD CT-3D), and PET/CT combined CT-3D prediction model (MOD combination), were established through binary logistic regression, and the diagnostic performance of the models were validated by ROC curve. Results A total of 125 patients were enrolled, including 57 males and 68 females, with an average age of 61.16±8.57 years. There were 46 patients with benign nodules, and 79 patients with malignant nodules. A total of 2 PET/CT parameters and 5 CT-3D parameters were extracted. Two PET/CT parameters, SUVmax≥1.5 (AUC=0.688) and abnormal uptake of hilar/mediastinal lymph node metabolism (AUC=0.671), were included in the regression model. Among the CT-3D parameters, CT value histogram peaks (AUC=0.694) and CT-3D morphology (AUC=0.652) were included in the regression model. Finally, the AUC of the MOD PET was verified to be 0.738 [95%CI (0.651, 0.824)], the sensitivity was 74.7%, and the specificity was 60.9%; the AUC of the MOD CT-3D was 0.762 [95%CI (0.677, 0.848)], the sensitivity was 51.9%, and the specificity was 87.0%; the AUC of the MOD combination was 0.857 [95%CI (0.789, 0.925)], the sensitivity was 77.2%, the specificity was 82.6%, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.001). Conclusion 18F-FDG PET/CT combined with CT-3D can improve the diagnostic performance of pulmonary nodules, and its specificity and sensitivity are better than those of single imaging diagnosis method. The combined prediction model is of great significance for the selection of surgical timing and surgical methods for pulmonary nodules, and provides a theoretical basis for the application of artificial intelligence in the pulmonary nodule diagnosis.
Objective To explore the diagnostic value and safety of CT-guided percutaneous lung biopsy (CT-PLB) for pulmonary nodules. Methods A total of 438 patients with pulmonary nodules underwent CT-PLB for further diagnosis. Results The CT-PLB was performed successfully in all 438 patients. The positive biopsy rate at the first puncture was 94.9%, and 100.0% at the second puncture. The pathology results revealed 379 (86.5%) cases of malignant lesions, 37 cases of benign lesions, and 22 cases with uncertainty. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of CT-PLB were 97.9% (376/384), 94.4% (51/54), and 97.4% (427/438), respectively. The first puncture induced complications included pneumothorax in 33 (7.5%) cases, blood in phlegm in 62 (14.2%) cases, pleural reaction in 7 (1.6%) cases, and bleeding at the site of puncture in 6 (1.4%) cases. There was no occurrence of neoplasm needle track implantation. The second puncture induced complications included pneumothorax in 7 (46.6%) cases and blood in phlegm in 11 (73.3%) cases. The incidences of pneumothorax and blood in phlegm were significantly higher in the patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), with pulmonary lesion size＜3 cm, or with penetration depth ≥5 cm (P＜0.05). Conclusions CT-PLB is a safe method with a relatively small trauma and has good diagnostic value for pulmonary nodules. The incidence of complications increases in patients with smaller pulmonary lesions, deeper puncture, or COPD.
