Prasoon Jain, MD Staff physician, Department of Medicine, Louis A. Johnson Veterans Administration Medical Center, Clarksburg WV
Salim A. Kathawalla, MD Staff physician, Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Park Nicollet Clinic, Minneapolis, MN
Alejandro C. Arroliga, MD Staff physician; acting director, Medical Intensive Care Unit; and director, fellowship program, Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Cleveland Clinic
Address: Alejandro C. Arroliga, MD, Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, A90, Cleveland Clinic, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44195; arrolia@ccf.org
ABSTRACT
A solitary pulmonary nodule (SPN) on a chest radiograph represents a major diagnostic dilemma. The goals of management are to resect malignant tumors without delay and to avoid unnecessary thoracotomy if the nodule is benign. But because of the difficulty distinguishing benign from malignant nodules, even with advances in imaging techniques, these goals cannot be met in all cases.
