The challenge of the solitary pulmonary nodule: diagnostic assessment with multislice spiral CT.

The advent of fast multiscale computed tomography (MSCT) technology has sparked new interest in the noninvasive assessment of the solitary pulmonary nodule (SPN). Fast scanning within a single breath-hold period, simultaneous acquisition of multiple thin slices with subsequent morphologic characterization of the nodule, determination of perfusion patterns as well as growth rates has led to unprecedented improvements in this emerging field. This article reviews the capabilities of MSCT in the diagnostic assessment of the SPN.