Efficacy and safety of thoracoscopic bronchial sleeve lobectomy for central non-small cell lung cancer

Objective To explore the efficacy of thoracoscopic bronchial sleeve lobectomy for central non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and to evaluate the safety of this operation. Methods The clinical data of 29 patients who underwent thoracoscopic bronchial sleeve lobectomy at Shanxi Provincial Cancer Hospital from May 2015 to September 2018 were retrospectively analyzed, and the surgical effect and safety were analyzed. Results Twenty-nine cases underwent thoracoscopic bronchial sleeve lobectomy. The types of resection included 13 cases of right upper, 10 cases of left upper, and 6 cases of left lower sleeve lobectomy. The operation time was 180-400 min, and the median time was 240 min. The bronchial anastomosis time was 35-60 min, and the median time was 48 min. The intraoperative blood loss was 150-460 ml, and the median blood loss was 220 ml. The number of lymph node dissection was 12-39 lymph nodes per patient, with a median of 19.6 lymph nodes per patient. The thoracic drainage tube was placed for 4-16 days after operation, with a median of 6 days; the postoperative hospital stay was 6-16 days, with a median of 9 days. The postoperative complication rate was 24.1% (7/29), including 1 case with pulmonary air leakage (> 7 days), 2 cases with pulmonary infections, 3 cases with arrhythmia, and 1 patient discharged from the hospital on the 7th day after surgery, but died of anastomotic fistula bleeding on the 40th day. The rest of the patients recovered smoothly after surgery. The median follow-up time was 6 months (3-12 months). No tumor recurrence or anastomotic stenosis was observed. Conclusion Thoracoscopic bronchial sleeve lobectomy is a safe and feasible surgical treatment for central NSCLC. Key words: Carcinoma, non-small-cell lung; Thoracoscopes; Sleeve lobectomy