Metástases pulmonares em crianças: estamos operando desnecessariamente?

OBJETIVO: determinar, em pacientes pediatricos portadores de neoplasias malignas, as caracteristicas de nodulos pulmonares identificados a tomografia computadorizada, capazes de diferenciar nodulos benignos de metastases. METHODS: we conducted a retrospective study of patients submitted to pulmonary resections of nodules diagnosed as metastases in a period of seven years. We compared computed tomography and surgery findings, as well as results of anatomopathological examinations. RESULTADOS: nove pacientes, submetidos a 11 intervencoes cirurgicas, foram estudados. Entre as variaveis estudadas, apenas o tamanho do nodulo, maior do que 12,5mm provou ser estatisticamente significante para predizer malignidade. CONCLUSION: among the tomographic characteristics of pulmonary nodules in children with malignant neoplasms, only the size of the lesion was a predictor of malignancy.