Interhospital variability in localization techniques for small pulmonary nodules in children: A pediatric surgical oncology research collaborative study
Topic overview
Multi-institutional study of 225 pediatric patients found significant variability in localization techniques for small pulmonary nodules across 15 centers, with wire+dye and dye-only methods most common. All techniques achieved similar success rates (92-100% localization, 94-100% resection) despite differences in procedure times, suggesting institutional preference rather than clinical superiority drives technique selection.
Key takeaways
- Multiple localization techniques (wire, dye, coil, Tc-99) achieve 92-100% success rates for small pediatric pulmonary nodules.
- Institutional preference drives technique selection more than nodule characteristics; no single method proves superior.
- Median nodule size 4mm and depth 5.4mm; wire+methylene blue dye most common approach (28% of cases).
- Procedure times vary significantly by technique and institution, but complication rates remain comparable across methods.
- Successful resection achieved in 94-100% regardless of localization method chosen.
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