Value of the Air Bronchogram Sign and Other Computed Tomography Findings in the Early Diagnosis of Lung Adenocarcinoma

Jia-Chang Liu; Jun Sheng; Song Xue; Ming Fang; Juan Huang; Zhong-Zhong Chen; Rui-Kai Wang; Mei Han

doi:10.1097/RCT.0000000000001604

Value of the Air Bronchogram Sign and Other Computed Tomography Findings in the Early Diagnosis of Lung Adenocarcinoma

J Comput Assist Tomogr. 2024 Mar 7. doi: 10.1097/RCT.0000000000001604. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Jia-Chang Liu¹, Jun Sheng², Song Xue³, Ming Fang¹, Juan Huang¹, Zhong-Zhong Chen¹, Rui-Kai Wang¹, Mei Han¹

Affiliations

¹ From the Departments of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
² Medical Imaging.
³ Pathology, First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Science & Technology, Huainan, China.

PMID: 38446716
DOI: 10.1097/RCT.0000000000001604

Abstract

Objectives: The present study aims to explore the application value of the air bronchogram (AB) sign and other computed tomography (CT) signs in the early diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD).

Method: The pathological information and CT images of 130 patients diagnosed with N0 and M0 solitary pulmonary nodules (diameter ≤3 cm) and treated with surgical resection in our hospital between June 2021 and June 2022 were analyzed.

Results: The patients were divided into the benign pulmonary nodule (BPN) group (14 cases), the AIS group (30 cases), the MIA group (10 cases), and the IAC group (76 cases). Among the 116 patients with AIS and LUAD, 96 showed an AB sign. Among the 14 patients with BPN, only 4 patients showed an AB sign. The average CT value and maximum diameter were significantly higher in the IAC group than in the AIS and MIA groups. In the BPN group, 5 patients had an average CT value of >80 HU. Among all LUAD-based groups, there was only 1 patient with a CT value of >60 HU.

Conclusions: The identification of the AB sign based on CT imaging facilitates the differentiation between benign and malignant nodules. The CT value and maximum diameter of pulmonary adenocarcinoma nodules increase with the increase of the malignancy degree. The nodule type, CT value, and maximum diameter are useful for predicting the pathological type and prognosis. If the average CT value of pulmonary nodules is >80 HU, LUAD may be excluded.