Table 2.
Summary of nodule characteristics
| Variable | Different groups | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group A | Group B | ||
| Nodule size (mm) | |||
| Median ± IQR (range) | 7.1 ± 3.6 (2.3–18.9) | 9.8 ± 5.8 (2.8–26.8) | < 0.001 |
| ≤ 5 mm | 10 | 12 | < 0.001 |
| > 5–10 mm | 38 | 106 | |
| > 10–15 mm | 9 | 74 | |
| > 15 mm | 1 | 29 | |
| Nodule location | |||
| Right/Left side | 39/19 | 131/90 | 0.268 |
| RUL/RML/RLL | 21/0/18 | 86/14/31 | 0.011 |
| LUL/LLL | 10/9 | 63/27 | |
| Nodule type | |||
| Solid/Part-solid/GGO | 20/12/26 | 36/33/152 | 0.002 |
| Depth from pleura (mm) | |||
| Median ± IQR (range) | 12.6 ± 13.6 (0.0–44.4) | 10.3 ± 16.7 (0.0–53.1) | 0.781 |
| ≤ 5 mm | 14 | 52 | 0.159 |
| > 5–10 mm | 12 | 57 | |
| > 10–15 mm | 13 | 25 | |
| > 15 mm | 19 | 87 | |
| Presence of emphysema★ | |||
| Yes/No | 4/54 | 6/215 | 0.224 |
| Position for localization procedure | |||
| Supine/Prone | 24/34 | 108/113 | 0.309 |
| Needle-pleura angle (°) | |||
| Mean ± SD(range) | 64.0 ± 14.0 (32.4–88.9) | 61.2 ± 15.7 (21.1–89.8) | 0.225 |
| ≤ 30° | 0 | 8 | 0.410 |
| > 30–60° | 23 | 93 | |
| > 60° | 35 | 120 | |
| Pleura-microcoil distance▼(mm) | |||
| Mean ± IQR (range) | 35.2 ± 9.4 (4.0–57.8) | 34.07 + 10.3 (1.0–55.9) | 0.378 |
| ≤ 10 mm | 2 | 11 | 0.211 |
| > 10–20 mm | 0 | 13 | |
| > 20–30 mm | 11 | 43 | |
| > 30 mm | 45 | 154 | |
| Presence of pleural indentation | |||
| Yes/No | 10/48 | 60/161 | 0.121 |
| Presence of the scapulae-covered | |||
| Yes/No | 4/54 | 42/179 | 0.027 |
| Procedure-related complications | |||
| Yes/No | 19/39 | 68/153 | 0.771 |
| Pneumothorax | |||
| Yes/No | 16/42 | 67/154 | 0.686 |
| Intrapulmonary haemorrhage | |||
| Yes/No | 7/51 | 26/195 | 0.949 |
| Surgical procedure | |||
| Wedge resection/Anatomic resection●/Open thoracotomy | 46/12/0 | 134/85/2 | - |
| Pathologic result▼▼ | |||
| Primary lung cancer/metastasis/Benign lesion | 37/0/21 | 175/3/43 | - |
Abbreviation: IQR, interquartile range; SD, standard deviation; GGO, ground glass opacity; RUL, right upper lobe; RML, right middle lobe; RLL, right lower lobe; LUL, left upper lobe; LLL, left lower lobe
★The emphysema region was around the needle insertion pathway
▼ Pleura-microcoil distance was measured along the needle insertion pathway
●Anatomic resection included lobectomy and segmentectomy
▼▼Detailed pathologic results were summarized in the Table 3