Shape of a lung spot

[dave66]

Last year during a routine physical I had a chest x-ray done.  The radiologist said he thinks he saw some spots that suggested we should compare to an old x-ray and if we did not have one to get a CT Scan.  I’m a 41 year old healthy male, none smoker.  My doctor thought we’d wait 3 months and do another chest x-ray.  Did that and the spots looked to be nothing, but my hilar lymph node looked kind of large, so we scheduled a CT scan.  Did that, and the lymph lode looked like it was okay, but I had an 8mm spot in my lung, and we scheduled another CT in 3 months.  Did that and the spot had not grown any, but this radiologist said that the spot looked like a sunburst, which suggested it could be something, and the other CT Scan showed that as well.  He suggested a PET scan or waiting 3 or 6 months and doing another CT.  I asked for the PET scan and insurance approved, and we did that, and it showed no activity, but the radiologist said we will need to follow up with another CT in 3 months because of the shape of the spot.  A long explanation for a quick question.  What kind of things can cause that sunburst or sunray shape?  He may have said spicule shaped to, I can’t remember.

[Enoch Choi, MD]

Great news that the PET was normal.  That's reassuring regardless of the CT findings.  Get your followup CT.