Why does the ground-glass shadow of the lung disappear after one year?

There are many types of lung diseases. Some patients with ground-glass nodules in the lungs have been under tremendous psychological pressure. In fact, for this disease, as long as the appropriate method of treatment is mastered, it will disappear automatically. Many patients have experienced ground-glass shadows disappearing after one year. In the later stage, only scientific treatment is needed to completely recover from the disease. So why do ground-glass shadows disappear after one year?

First, why did the ground-glass opacity of the lungs disappear after one year? Ground-glass opacity (GGO) of the lungs appears as a slightly increased density, cloudy, thin shadow/nodule on chest CT. It looks like frosted glass, so it is called ground glass shadow. Lung GGO is not necessarily cancer. Sometimes, lung inflammation, hemorrhage, and fibrosis can cause pulmonary GGO. Therefore, don’t assume that you have lung cancer as soon as you hear “ground-glass opacity in the lungs,” but don’t take it lightly either.

Second, the treatment of ground-glass opacities in the lungs varies from person to person, and isolated pure GGO with a diameter of <5 mm does not require follow-up. This is especially true for the elderly, because pathologically it represents AAH (atypical adenomatous hyperplasia, considered to be a precursor lesion of lung adenocarcinoma), and a few are adenocarcinoma in situ. The slice thickness of the thin-layer scan must be 1 mm to determine whether it is a true GGO. For isolated pure GGO with a diameter of >5 mm, reexamination should be performed after 3 months to observe whether the lesion disappears. If the condition persists, review it every year for at least 3 years.

Third, for isolated partial solid density GGO, especially those with solid components >5 mm, if the lesion is found to have increased or remained unchanged after a follow-up examination 3 months later, the possibility of malignancy should be considered. For multiple GGOs with clear margins <5 mm, a more conservative approach should be adopted, and follow-up after 2 and 4 years is recommended. In the case of multiple pure GGOs, with at least one lesion >5 mm but no particularly prominent lesions, it is recommended to have a follow-up examination after 3 months and to have a long-term follow-up of at least 3 years.

Why did the ground-glass opacity of the lung disappear after one year? There are multiple GGOs with prominent lesions, and the main lesions need further treatment. The lesions persisted during the first follow-up examination 3 months later. It is recommended to give active treatment to larger lesions, especially those with solid components >5mm.