Background: Serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) concentration is an indicator for tissue injury. It may be secreted locally in many conditions. For the first time, this study was performed to investigate the value of LDH level in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) in differentiation of benign from malignant single pulmonary nodules (SPNs) and to assess its relationship with serum LDH levels. Met...

A solitary pulmonary nodule (SPN) is radiologically defined as an intraparenchymal lung lesion that is < 3 cm in diameter and is not associated with atelectasis or adenopathy. Lung lesions > 3 cm in size are defined as lung masses. A solitary pulmonary nodule is noted on 0.09 to 0.20 per cent of all chest radiographs. An estimated 150,000 such nodules are identified each year. Ninety per cent o...