Table 5.
Diagnostic Test Utilization Associated With the Intensity of Received Lung Nodule Evaluation
| Variable | Less Intense (n = 22) |
Guideline-Concordant (n = 65) |
More Intense (n = 26) |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of Patients | % (95% CI) | No. of Patients | % (95% CI) | No. of Patients | % (95% CI) | |
| No. of imaging tests | ||||||
| 0 | 7 | 32 (15-55) | 18 | 28 (18-40) | 4 | 15 (5.5-36) |
| 1 | 10 | 46 (25-67) | 35 | 54 (41-66) | 2 | 7.7 (1.8-28) |
| 2 | 3 | 14 (4.05-37) | 5 | 7.7 (3.2-18) | 6 | 23 (10-44) |
| 3 | 1 | 4.6 (0.5-30) | 2 | 3.1 (0.7-12) | 9 | 35 (18-56) |
| ≥ 4 | 1 | 4.6 (0.5-30) | 5 | 7.7 (3.2-18) | 5 | 19 (7.7-40) |
| Any invasive procedure | 0 | 0 (0-15) | 37 | 57 (44-69) | 10a | 39 (21-59) |
a
Of the 10 patients with more intense nodule evaluation who underwent an invasive procedure, the testing that resulted in more intense evaluation included shorter-than-recommended interval for imaging (n = 6), > 2 years of surveillance (n = 1), and bronchoscopy (n = 3).