Tumor blood vessel in 3D reconstruction CT imaging as an risk indicator for growth of pulmonary nodule with ground-glass opacity

Objective Despite the vital role of blood perfusion in tumor progression, in patients with persistent pulmonary nodule with ground-glass opacity (GGO) is still unclear. This study aims to investigate the relationship between tumor blood vessel and the growth of persistent malignant pulmonary nodules with ground-glass opacity (GGO). Methods We collected 116 cases with persistent malignant pulmonary nodules, including 62 patients as stable versus 54 patients in the growth group, from 2017 to 2021. Three statistical methods of logistic regression model, Kaplan–Meier analysis regression analysis were used to explore the potential risk factors for growth of malignant pulmonary nodules with GGO. Results Multivariate variables logistic regression analysis and Kaplan–Meier analysis identified that tumor blood vessel diameter ( p = 0.013) was an significant risk factor in the growth of nodules and Cut-off value of tumor blood vessel diameter was 0.9 mm with its specificity 82.3% and sensitivity 66.7%.While in subgroup analysis, for the GGO CTR < 0.5[C(the maximum diameter of consolidation in tumor)/T(the maximum diameter of the whole tumor including GGO) ratio], tumor blood vessel diameter ( p = 0.027) was important during the growing processes of nodules. Conclusions The tumor blood vessel diameter of GGO lesion was closely associated with the growth of malignant pulmonary nodules. The results of this study would provide evidence for effective follow-up strategies for pulmonary nodule screening.