Comparison of the patient demographics, high resolution computed tomography(HRCT) features of the pulmonary ground-glass opacity(GGO) and its diagnostic value analysis

Introduction Pulmonary ground-glass opacity (GGO) observed on computed tomography (CT) is widely regarded as a diagnostic feature of lung adenocarcinoma; however, a significant radiological predictive sign remains controversial. In this retrospective study, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of 206 patients with GGO to establish a correlation analysis model between CT images and diagnosis of GGO nodules. Methods Histopathologic specimens were obtained from 206 patients (130 women, 76 men; age range 24–77). The clinical data, pathologic findings, and thin-section CT features of solid, pure GGO (pGGO), and mixed GGO (mGGO) nodules were compared using rigorous statistical methods, such as t-test, Fisher’s exact test, or univariate logistic regression analysis. Results Significant differences were observed among the 3 groups in terms of patient demographics, including gender (P = 0.016), smoking history (P = 0.002), and nodule size (P = 0.002). Morphologic CT characteristics, such as the presence of spiculated sign, lobulated sign, vascular sign, bubble-lucency sign, or pleural retraction, exhibited significant differences among the solid nodule, pGGO, and mGGO groups. However, no significant differences were observed in terms of air-bronchogram sign. Notably, the incidence of malignancy was significantly higher in pGGO nodules (76.52%) than in solid (48.48%) and mGGO (73.86%) nodules. Patients with mGGO had up to 2.988 times higher hazard of malignant lesions than those with solid nodules [P = 0.036, hazard ratio (HR) = 2.988]. Similarly, the hazard of malignant lesions was 2.941 times higher in patients with pGGO than in those with solid nodules (P = 0.007, HR = 2.941). Conclusion Clinical, pathological, and thin-section CT features of solid, pGGO and mGGO nodules were found to be significantly different. Based on our comprehensive analysis, patients presenting with a mGGO or pGGO on CT scans were more likely to be diagnosed with lung cancer.