Dual artificial intelligence-assisted diagnosis and treatment for patients with multiple primary lung cancer / 中国胸心血管外科临床杂志

@#Objective    To explore the value of artificial intelligence (AI) diagnostic imaging system and three dimensional computed tomographic bronchoangiography (3D-CTBA) surgical planning system in the management of multiple primary lung cancer (MPLC). Methods    The clinical data of 53 patients with MPLC treated surgically in our hospital from January 2018 to August 2020 were retrospectively analyzed, including 16 males and 37 females, with a median age of 60 (39-75) years. The patients' preoperative CT was analyzed by AI and manually, and the data of patients who underwent 3D-CTBA were compiled to evaluate the value of AI and 3D-CTBA in the diagnosis and treatment of MPLC, respectively. Results     The sensitivity of AI screening for MPLC was 84.91%. The sensitivity (91.90% vs. 83.78%) and accuracy (85.60% vs. 84.00%) of AI diagnosis of high-risk MPLC infiltrative lesions were better than those of manual diagnosis. 3D-CTBA was used for planning the surgery in 12 patients, and the intraoperative situation was generally consistent with the reconstructed results. Conclusion    AI is of high value in identifying infiltrative lesions of MPLC. 3D-CTBA reconstruction of anatomical structures is accurate and can guide preoperative planning.

Translobar Phenomenon of Pulmonary Veins and Its Clinical Significance in Lobectomy / 中国肺癌杂志

BACKGROUND@#Lobectomy is the main treatment strategy for early lung cancer. However, there are many anatomical variations in the lungs, especially some pulmonary veins will deviate from the normal position, and even cross the border of lob to enter the adjacent lobes, which increases the difficulty and risk of lobectomy. This study aims to analyze the variation types and frequency of pulmonary translobar veins, and further investigate its clinical significance in lobectomy.@*METHODS@#This study retrospectively included 916 patients who underwent lung resection in our center from December 2018 to November 2019, and selected 310 patients who underwent enhanced chest computed tomography (CT) examination before surgery. Enhanced chest CT and three-dimensional computed tomography bronchography and angiography (3D-CTBA) of these patients were applied to analyze the types and frequency of translobar veins. Further, 48 cases of lobectomy whose operation areas involved translobar veins were further screened out of 916 surgical cases (Among them, the translobar veins of 36 subjects were cut off and the other 12 patients were reserved). The effect of two different treatments on remaining lung was observed by surgical video.@*RESULTS@#A total of 26 translobar veins patterns were identified with an overall incidence of 82.26%, much greater in the right than in the left lung (80.65% vs 11.94%). The major types (frequency >5%) in the right lung include: the VX2 (5.48%) that flows into the inferior pulmonary vein behind the intermediate bronchus, the V3b (58.39%) that converges the venous branches of the upper and middle lobe, the VX4 that flows into the V2 (13.23%) or V3 (12.58%) in the horizontal fissure, the VX4 (8.71%) or VX5 (7.42%) that flows into the left atrium beneath the middle lobe bronchus, and the VX6 that flows into V2 in the Oblique fissure. The major types in the left lung include the common trunk (9.36%) of the superior and inferior pulmonary vein, of which 4.84% are greater than 1 cm in length. Compared to the preserved group, circulatory function of the remaining lung was impaired in the severed group, with the impaired area failing to collapse long after ventilation is stopped, the incidence of postoperative hemoptysis (13.89% vs 0.00%) and pulmonary air leakage (19.44% vs 8.33%) increased, the postoperative hospital stay [(4.72±1.86) d vs (3.92±1.62) d] was longer, and the total drainage during 3 days after operation [(705.42±265.02) mL vs (604.92±229.64) mL] was more, but the difference is not statistically significant.@*CONCLUSIONS@#There are a variety of types of translobar pulmonary veins and some of them have a high incidence; However, most of the translobar veins were neglected in surgery, which could adversely affect the safety of surgery and the recovery of patients after surgery.

Clinical application of three-dimensional computed tomography bronchography and angiography in robotic lung segmentectomy / 中国胸心血管外科临床杂志

@#Objective    To explore the clinical value of three-dimensional computed tomography bronchography and angiography (3D-CTBA) in robotic lung segmentectomy. Methods    A non-randomized control study was performed and continuously enrolled 122 patients who underwent robotic lung segmentectomy in our hospital from January 2019 to January 2020. 3D-CTBA was performed before operations in 53 patients [a 3D-CTBA group, including 18 males, 35 females, with a median age of 52 (26-69) years] and not performed in the other 69 patients [a traditional group, including 23 males, 46 females, with a median age of 48 (30-76) years]. The clinical data of the patients were compared between the two groups. Results    All the patients were successfully completed the surgery and recovered from hospital, with no perioperative death. The baseline characteristics of the patients were not significantly different between the two groups (P>0.05). No significant difference was found in the operative time [120 (70-185) min vs. 120 (45-225) min, P=0.801], blood loss [50 (20-300) mL vs. 30 (20-400) mL, P=0.778], complications rate (17.0% vs. 11.6%, P=0.162), postoperative hospital stay [7 (4-19) d vs. 7 (3-20) d, P=0.388] between the two groups. In the 3D-CTBA group, 5 (9.4%) patients did not find nodules after segmentectomy, and only 1 (1.9%) of them needed lobectomy, but in the traditional group, 8 (11.6%) patients did not find nodules and had to carry out lobectomy, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The follow-up time was 10 (1-26) months, and during this period, there was no recurrence, metastasis or death in the two groups. Conclusion    3D-CTBA is helpful for accurate localization of nodules and reasonable surgical planning before operations, and reducing wrong resections in segmentectomy, without increasing the operation time, blood loss and complications. It is safe and effective in anatomical lung segmentectomy.

Technical process and quality control of precise thoracoscopic lung segmentectomy / 中国胸心血管外科临床杂志

@#Thoracoscopic pulmonary segmentectomy is one of the important treatment methods for early lung cancer. Only the premise of surgical precision can make the radical resection of lesions and maximum reservation of healthy lung tissue be simultaneously guaranteed. As a representative of the precise lung operation, the “cone-shaped lung segmentectomy” focuses on the lesion, and combines the anatomical characteristic of the patient to design individualized operation scheme. The technological core consists of three parts, three dimensional-computed tomography bronchography and angiography (3D-CTBA) surgery path planning, accurate definition of intersegmental demarcation and anatomic dissection of intersegmental borders along the demarcation. This paper aims to explore the technical process and quality control of the key techniques of thoracoscopic precise segmentectomy, so as to standardize the segmentectomy procedure under the principle of radical and minimally invasive therapy.