[Results of early thoracotomy in the treatment of non-calcified solitary pulmonary nodules. Analysis of 19 cases].

We reviewed 19 patients who had undergone thoracotomy and resection of a noncalcified solitary pulmonary nodule over the past 7 years, to see if a policy of early thoracotomy was therapeutically valid. The average age of patients was 50 (range 10 to 73 years), 6 females and 13 males. All of them asymptomatic. In this study, there were 9 (47.3%) of primary bronchogenic carcinoma, the incidence was 54.5% in patients above 50 years. There were no postoperative deaths and 3 serious postoperative complications (15.7%). Post operatory followed up by all patients ranged from one to seven years. The patients with benign lesions are all well. 9 of the cases had primary lung cancer, 2 died, 3 1/2 years and 5 years after surgery. We conclude that pre-operative differential diagnostic procedure between benign and malign nodules may not always be decisive, and that an early thoracotomy in indicated every case, since the incidence of malign tumors is frequent. Very small primary lung cancers detected and treated early do not have the same poor prognosis as larger primary cancers.