The entities of non-solid and part-solid pulmonary nodules on CT scan have been recently described.

Nonsolid and part-solid pulmonary nodules account for between 2.9 and 19 % of all pulmonary nodules detected in high-risk patients included in CT screening series for lung cancer. Radio-pathological correlations have shown that the aetiology could be either benign (chronic pneumonia, atypical adenomatous hyperplasia, localized fibrosis) or malignant (broncholoalveolar cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, more rarely metastasis). Part-solid or non-solid nodules are more likely to be malignant than solid ones. The doubling time of non-solid nodules can be longer than part-solid ones and even longer than the doubling time of solid nodules. Patient prognosis is related to the proportion of the ground glass component.

The management of these nodules requires prolonged surveillance of nodules less than 10mm in diameter and surgical excision of nodules greater than 10mm persisting on scans between 1 to 3 months after they have been discovered and anti-inflammatory and anti-infectious therapy has been administered.

Nonsolid and part-solid pulmonary nodules found on CT scan warrant a specific diagnostic workup.