Surgical technique of lung segmental resection with two intersegmental planes

Lung segmental resection is of two types: a simple type with resection of only one intersegmental plane, such as lingual or superior segmentectomy; and a complicated type with resection of two or more intersegmental planes, such as anterior segmentectomy. We present a method of identifying the intersegmental plane by physiological function. First, we cut the segmental pulmonary artery and vein. The entire lobe is then inflated with pure oxygen for 5 min. Immediately after oxygen inflation, the segmental bronchus is deflated and stapled. After a couple of minutes, the intersegmental plane is easily detected. In 117 patients who underwent segmentectomy, mean blood loss was 122 ± 193 ml and mean duration of drainage was 3.5 ± 4.8 days. Postoperative complications related to operative procedures occurred in 14 cases (12.0%). Our method of detecting intersegmental planes is convenient and useful for subsegmental resection, particularly for complicated-type cases.