How does the degree of enhancement of pulmonary nodules on CT aid in the determination of benignancy?
The degree of enhancement of pulmonary nodules is directly related to the likelihood of malignancy and the vascularity of the nodules, and may be determined through CT nodule densitometry. Nodule enhancement of less than 15 HU (a measure of attenuation) on CT after intravenous contrast administration is strongly predictive of benignancy, whereas enhancement of more than 15 HU may indicate either malignancy or active inflammation. False-negative enhancement studies may occur occasionally when central necrosis, cavitation, or abundant mucin is present within a pulmonary nodule or if a pulmonary nodule is very small.
