INTRODUCTION: In various mass screening programmes, 0.09-2% of chest radiographs have revealed solitary
pulmonary nodules. This continues to pose a diagnostic challenge and therefore the signicance of its proper evaluation
to differentiate between benign and malignant causes. The study was carrie MATERIALS AND METHODS: d out in the Department of
Respiratory Medicine of IPGMER, Kolkata for a period of one & half year (November 16 to May 2018). Help was also sought from various
departments of IPGMER, specially the Departments of Pathology, Microbiology, Cardiothoracic surgery and Radiotherapy. Fine needle
aspiration cytology of lung opacity under guidance of computerized tomography was performed in Radiology Section of the Bangur Institute of
Neurology, Calcutta, Department of Radiotherapy, IPGMER and The CT-Scan Centre of Medical College, Kolkata. A total of 73 cases showing
solitary pulmonary opacity and obeying the selected criteria were selected for the study of which 56 cases are being evaluated in this study as 17
cases were either lost to follow-up or data was incomplete and hence were excluded. The study showed RESULT AND ANALYSIS:
bronchogenic carcinoma as by far the most common cause of solitary pulmonary opacity occurring in 45% of the total cases. Majority of the
cases of bronchogenic carcinoma were of squamous cell variety (48%) followed by adenocarcinoma (36%). Small cell carcinoma (4%) and
anaplastic carcinoma (12%) were less common. Among the benign causes, tuberculoma was the commonest cause seen in 21.4% cases followed
by metastasis from other sites (9%). Solitary pulmonary opacity due to bronchogenic carcinoma was seen more in elderly subjects (Mean age of
the subjects with bronchogenic carcinoma was 58.9 years while for tuberculoma & hydatid cyst cases the mean ages were 43.3 years and 41 years
respectively). The present study showed that meticulous clinical evaluation, careful study of c CONCLUSION: hest roentgenogram coupled
with judicious use of investigations like ber optic bronchoscope andCT guided aspiration cytology make it possible to diagnose the etiology of
solitary pulmonary opacitieswithoutresortingtomajorsurgicalprocedures.Althoughthis doesnotunderestimatethe needforthoracotomy
whichisthenalanswertotheproblemofundiagnosedsolitarypulmonary opacity, The present study can be regarded as yet another illustration of
the current trend of evaluation of pulmonary opacities by increasing use of non-invasive investigation procedures bases on recent
technologicaladvances.
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