Pitfalls in Pulmonary Nodule Characterization

Despite recent technological advances that enable high diagnostic accuracy for pulmonary nodule detection and characterization, numerous pitfalls exist that may result in misdiagnosis. This pictorial review outlines the most common potential pitfalls in the characterization of lung nodules that include artifacts in chest radiography, benign nodules that mimic lung cancer on chest CT, and causes of false negative evaluations of lung cancer with CT and PET/CT studies. Awareness of the spectrum of potential pitfalls in pulmonary nodule detection and characterization, including equivocal or atypical presentations, is important for avoiding misinterpretation that can alter patient management.
Source: Seminars in Roentgenology - Category: Radiology Authors: Source Type: research