I thought I would have to spend at least one week in the hospital. I've been hesitating for a while for fear of delaying my business and didn't expect to be discharged in only two days! A patient who received the treatment recently said.

Recently, the Fourth Affiliated Hospital Zhejiang University School of Medicine (ZJU4H) applied single-port video-assisted thoracoscopic sub-segmentectomy and segmentectomy approaches as the surgical treatment for pulmonary nodules. This minimally invasive technique offers several benefits to patients, including preservation of lung function and better outcomes.

A lung nodule was found in a regular check-up of a businessman in Yiwu who had lost more than 7 kilos in a month!

Mr. LI has been doing business in Yiwu for many years. He is a habitual smoker and a poor sleeper as well. Three months ago, a ground glass nodule with an unspecific diameter of 8 mm was found in his lungs during a medical check-up. At first, he tried to hide it from his family, but his stress increased day by day. In a few months, he lost more than 7 kilos and finally admitted the truth to his family.

Through a re-examination and imaging results, experts from the integrated pulmonary clinic of ZJU4H determined that the possibility of early lung cancer was relatively high and suggested early surgery. However, Mr. LI was in a dilemma, considering the risks of the surgery and his business, he hesitated to take the surgery.

Discharged just two days after receiving a small incision that accurately targeted the lung nodules.

According to WENG Xianwu, Chief Physician of the Cardiothoracic Surgery Department, Mr. LI's pulmonary nodules are located between the anterior and posterior segments of the upper lobe of his right lung. Such deeply placed lung nodules are challenging to identify and resect. The traditional treatment method can be devastating: a complete lobectomy, or even removing portions of the upper lobe of the lung. After a detailed discussion, Dr. WENG decided to perform a single-port thoracoscopic sub-segmentectomy and segmentectomy.

The lung nodules were accurately resected, with only one small incision. A pathological report proved that it was indeed early-stage lung cancer. At noontime on the third day and less than two days after his admission, Mr. Li was successfully discharged. He felt grateful and amazed.

According to Dr. WENG, segmentectomy or segment resection is a surgical treatment that can be an option to treat early-stage lung cancers by removing part of one of the lobes of the lung while leaving as much healthy lung tissue undamaged.

Identifying lung cancer patients suitable for minimally invasive segmentectomy

Lung nodules are spots in the lungs that are rounded or have irregular opacity, which may be well or poorly defined, measuring ≤ 3 cm in diameter. Most nodules are not cancerous and are caused by infections or scarring. Therefore, fine screening and accurate diagnosis are essential.

Dr. WENG stressed that minimally invasive surgery not only reduces the external incision but also reduces damage to internal normal tissue. Single-port thoracoscopic segmentectomy or sub-segmentectomy achieves these goals at the same time, as it is internally and externally minimal invasive: doubly minimally invasive.

Source: the Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine