Pulmonary small nodules are common diseases of the lung, and are the initial stage of lung cancer progression. This review describes the definition of pulmonary small nodules, the identification methods of benign and malignant pulmonary small nodules, and the common diagnostic methods for pulmonary small nodules. In addition, we compared the follow-up strategies of pulmonary small nodules in common guidelines at home and abroad. We also explained the principles of minimally invasive surgery, precise treatment and accelerated rehabilitation of pulmonary small nodules, providing directions for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary small nodules.