Consolidation radiographic morphology can be an indicator of the pathological basis and prognosis of partially solid nodules

Abstract Background Part-solid nodules (PSNs) have gradually shifted to defining special clinical subtypes. Commonly, the solid portions of PSNs show various radiological morphologies, of which the corresponding pathological basis and prognosis are unclear. We conducted a radiological–pathological evaluation to determine the histopathologic basis of different consolidation radiographic morphologies related to prognosis. Materials and methods A cohort of 275 patients with a surgical pathological diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma were enrolled. Preoperative computed tomography (CT) images of the PSNs were recorded and assessed. A panel of 103 patients with complete pathological specimens was selected to examine the radiological–pathological associations, and follow-up was performed to identify the prognosis. Results Of the 275 patients, punctate consolidation was observed radiologically in 43/275 (15.7%), stripe consolidation in 68/275 (24.7%), and irregular consolidation in 164/275 (59.6%) patients. The radiological morphology of the solid components was significantly associated with the histopathological subtypes (P