Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 20, 2026
Electromagnetic Navigation Transthoracic Nodule Localization for Minimally Invasive Thoracic Surgery
Published on: May 4, 2022
Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for pulmonary nodules after computed tomography-guided marking with a spiral
Uwe Eichfeld1, Arne Dietrich, Rudolph Ott
1Clinic for Abdominal, Transplant, Vascular and Thoracic Surgery, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany. eichu@medizin.uni-leipzig.de
Purpose:
Peripheral pulmonary nodules are preferably removed by minimally invasive techniques, such as video-assisted thoracoscopic (VATS) surgery. These nodules should be marked preoperatively for better intraoperative detection and removal.
Description:
Twenty-two cases with a single pulmonary nodule requiring surgical removal for histologic examination were included in a prospective study. Guided by computed tomography, nodules were marked preoperatively using a laser marker system and fixed with a spiral wire. The marked nodules were removed by VATS surgery immediately after the marking.
Evaluation:
The marking wire was placed in all 22 patients without any complications. The marked nodule was completely removed by VATS surgery in 19 patients. Conversion to thoracotomy was necessary in 3 patients, twice because of thoracoscopy-related problems and once because of a marking failure. The average times for the marking procedure and operation were 24 minutes and 32 minutes, respectively.
Conclusions:
This new method of computed tomography-guided nodule marking with a spiral wire and subsequent VATS surgery is very efficient in terms of localization and stable fixation of subpleural pulmonary nodules.
