ObjectiveTo analyze the pathological manifestations and imaging characteristics of bronchiolar adenoma (BA).MethodsThe clinical data of 11 patients with BA who received surgeries in our hospital from January 2019 to September 2020 were retrospectively analyzed, including 5 males and 6 females aged 40-73 (62.40±10.50) years. The intraoperative rapid freezing pathological diagnosis, postoperative pathological classification, cell growth pattern, nuclear proliferation index Ki-67 and other immunohistochemical staining combined with preoperative chest CT imaging characteristics were analyzed.ResultsThe average preoperative observation time was 381.10±278.28 d. The maximum diameter of imaging lesions was 5-27 (10.27±6.34) mm. Eight (72.7%) patients presented with irregular morphology of heterogeneous ground-glass lesions, and 3 (27.3%) patients presented with pure ground-glass lesions. There were 10 (90.9%) patients with vascular signs, 8 (72.7%) patients with vacuolar signs, 1 (9.1%) patient with bronchus sign, 3 (27.3%) patients with pleural traction and 9 (81.8%) patients with burr/lobular sign. The surgical methods included sub-lobectomy in 10 patients and lobectomy in 1 patient. Five (45.5%) patients were reported BA by intraoperative frozen pathology. The postoperative pathological classification included 8 patients with distal-type and 3 patients with proximal-type, and the maximum diameter of the lesions was 4-20 (8.18±5.06) mm. Eight (72.7%) patients showed characteristic bilayer cell structure under microscope, and 10 (90.9%) patients showed thyroid transcription factor 1 expression in pathological tissues. The expression of NapsinA in intracavity cells was found in 9 (81.8%) patients. The Ki-67 index of the lesion tissue was 1%-5% (3.22%±1.72%).ConclusionThe pathological features and imaging findings of BA confirm the premise that BA is a neoplastic lesion. However, to identify BA as a benign or inert tumor needs more clinical data and evidence of molecular pathological studies.
Objective To study the clinical and CT findings of bronchiolar adenoma. Methods Patients diagnosed with bronchiolar adenoma confirmed by surgical pathology at Linyi People's Hospital and Yantai Yuhuangding Hospital from 2016 to 2021 were collected. Their clinical and CT imaging features were retrospectively analyzed. ResultsFinally, 25 patients were collected, including 6 males and 19 females, aged 32-73 (58.6±10.1) years. The immunohistochemical Ki-67 (MIB1) of all lesions was <5%. The lesions were located in the upper and middle lobe of both lungs in 9 patients, lower lobes in 16 patients, extrapulmonary zone in 22 patients, intrapulmonary middle zone in 3 patients, round in 11 patients, irregular in 14 patients, well-defined in 22 patients, pure ground-glass/mixed ground-glass nodules in 6 patients, solid nodules in 19 patients. There were 11 patients with central small cavity, 18 patients with single bronchioles sign, 19 patients without adhesion with adjacent pleura, and 24 patients without mediastinal lymph node enlargement. ConclusionBronchiolar adenomas usually occur in the middle-aged and elderly, mostly in the lower lobe of both lungs and the distribution of the peripheral lung field, most of the patients do not have any clinical symptoms, and the postoperative prognosis is good. CT may show large nodules or masses, pure ground-glass/mixed ground-glass nodules, irregular solid nodules and central small cavities. Irregular stellate nodules, central small cavity shadow, and single bronchiolar vascular bundle connected with the lesions are relatively specific imaging findings of bronchiolar adenoma.