We often encounter patients with solitary pulmonary nodule who do not have old x-rays, have no demonstrable calcium and the probability of malignancy is not high. In these groups of patients, I opt to follow them every three months with clinical evaluation and chest x-ray for the following two years. As you recall, if the lesion has not shown any sign of growth for two years, we can be reasonably certain that it is not cancer. If the lesion shows any sign of growth, it should be resected. I have saved many patients unnecessary thoracotomy by this course. As a rule, this course of action does not make the lesion inoperable because of the waiting period.