Juxtapleural lung nodules

Juxtapleural lung nodules can be defined by their location within 15 mm of a pleural surface. Intrapulmonary lymph nodes are typically pleura-based or subpleural in location ⁷ but must be distinguished from small, peripheral lung cancers ⁸.

Terminology 

Perifissural lymph nodes have been well-described and may have typical appearances which allow a confident diagnosis. The same applies to lymph nodes along the costal, mediastinal and diaphragmatic pleura and the term juxtapleural was introduced to include these. Unfortunately, the term does not have a consistent meaning throughout the radiology literature and has been abandoned by the 2024 Fleischner glossary ¹¹.

Radiographic features

CT

Intrapulmonary lymph nodes are characteristically:

• homogeneous, soft tissue attenuation, well-defined nodules

• smooth outline

• lentiform, ovoid, semicircular, triangular or polygonal shape

• located on or within 15 mm of the visceral pleura ⁹

• contiguous with the pleura or they can lie at the junction of interlobular septa in which case a thin linear attachment to the pleural surface is often visible ³

• predominantly located inferior to the carina in the middle or lower lobes

Features that are not typical for intrapulmonary lymph nodes include ⁶: 

• upper zone location

• spherical shape

• any surface irregularity e.g. indistinct, spiculated, microlobulated

• pleural distortion e.g. bowing, retraction, thickening, transgression (fissure)

• size >12 mm

• not completely solid ⁸

• intranodular fat or calcification

Peripheral lungs cancers are most commonly adenocarcinomas, followed by squamous carcinomas and carcinoid tumours. These are commonly round in shape. Carcinoids may have a smooth regular margin, but other tumours characteristically demonstrate surface irregularity and are less sharply marginated. Spiculation and microlobulation are the more obvious signs of malignancy. Signs of visceral pleural invasion may also be present in lung cancers ¹⁰:

• jellyfish sign: pleural-adjacent nodule with multiple pleural tags arising from the margins of the nodule

• pleural thickening

• large contact surface area for pleural-adjacent nodules

• multiple tags to different pleural surfaces

Treatment and prognosis

If juxtapleural nodules have all the typical features of intraparenchymal lymph nodes they are likely to be benign and follow-up at 1 year may be appropriate, however, lymph node size can change over time and they may grow ² or shrink over time.

Caution is advised for upper lobe nodules. Observer variation is well-documented ^ref, particularly so with radiologists inexperienced in this area.