Significance of focal ground-glass opacity in CT images for diagnosis of early lung cancer

Objective To evaluate the significance of focal ground-glass opacity(fGGO) in the lung CT images for diagnosis of early lung cancer.Methods Forty eight patients underwent high resolution CT scan and fGGO was presented on CT imagines of the lung.Among them 45 received surgical treatment,the relationship of fGGO and pathological features of lung lesions were retrospectively analyzed.Results Among 45 patients with fGGO in CT images,pathological examinations revealed adenocarcinoma in 17 cases,bronchioloalveolar carcinoma in 19 cases,atypical adenomatous hyperplasia in 4 cases and inflammation in 5 cases;no lymph node metastasis was found.Conclusion Focal ground-glass opacity is often an important sign of early lung cancer;according to the type, size and internal structure of fGGO surgical intervention may be recommended.