Valoración preoperatoria en cirugía de torax

Lung resection is currently the best option for cure in patients with nonmetastatic bronchogenic carcinomas. However, the coexistence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease enhances the surgical risk in direct correlation with the amount of tissue that is removed. From the above is evident that an adequate evaluation of pulmonary and cardiovascular functions is mandatory in the selection of patients for lung resection. This paper evaluates several pulmonary function parameters and suggests the best ones in rutine clinical practice for predicting sugical outcome in patients with lung disease.