Small pulmonary nodules: reproducibility of three-dimensional volumetric measurement and estimation of time to follow-up CT.

Purpose: To determine reproducibility of volume measurements of small pulmonary nodules on computed tomographic (CT) scans and to estimate critical time to follow-up CT.

Materials And Methods: One hundred fifteen pulmonary nodules for which two thin-section small-field-of-view CT scans were obtained and which were stable during 2-year observation were evaluated. A standard group of 94 nodules (with no or minimal artifact) and an expanded group of 105 nodules (including those with moderate artifacts) were examined.