%0 Journal Article
%T Bubble-like lucency in pulmonary ground glass nodules on computed tomography: a specific pattern of air-containing space for diagnosing neoplastic lesions.
%A Liu SZ
%A Yang SH
%A Ye M
%A Fu BJ
%A Lv FJ
%A Chu ZG
%J Cancer Imaging
%V 24
%N 1
%D 2024 Apr 2
%M 38566150
%F 5.605
%R 10.1186/s40644-024-00694-8
%X <B>OBJECTIVE: </B>To investigate the computed tomography (CT) characteristics of air-containing space and its specific patterns in neoplastic and non-neoplastic ground glass nodules (GGNs) for clarifying their significance in differential diagnosis.<BR><B>METHODS: </B>From January 2015 to October 2022, 1328 patients with 1,350 neoplastic GGNs and 462 patients with 465 non-neoplastic GGNs were retrospectively enrolled. Their clinical and CT data were analyzed and compared with emphasis on revealing the differences of air-containing space and its specific patterns (air bronchogram and bubble-like lucency [BLL]) between neoplastic and non-neoplastic GGNs and their significance in differentiating them.<BR><B>RESULTS: </B>Compared with patients with non-neoplastic GGNs, female was more common (P < 0.001) and lesions were larger (P < 0.001) in those with neoplastic ones. Air bronchogram (30.1% vs. 17.2%), and BLL (13.0% vs. 2.6%) were all more frequent in neoplastic GGNs than in non-neoplastic ones (each P < 0.001), and the BLL had the highest specificity (93.6%) in differentiation. Among neoplastic GGNs, the BLL was more frequently detected in the larger (14.9 ± 6.0 mm vs. 11.4 ± 4.9 mm, P < 0.001) and part-solid (15.3% vs. 10.7%, P = 0.011) ones, and its incidence significantly increased along with the invasiveness (9.5-18.0%, P = 0.001), whereas no significant correlation was observed between the occurrence of BLL and lesion size, attenuation, or invasiveness.<BR><B>CONCLUSIONS: </B>The air containing space and its specific patterns are of great value in differentiating GGNs, while BLL is a more specific and independent sign of neoplasms.