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Updated: Apr 8, 2026
Thoracoscopic Extended Right Middle Plus Lower Sleeve Lobectomy for Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer
Published on: February 27, 2026
Single incision thoracoscopic lobectomy through a 2.5 cm skin incision
11 Center for Lung Cancer, Research Institute and Hospital, National Cancer Center, Goyang, Korea ; 2 Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea ; 3 Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
Abstract:
Single incision thoracoscopic surgery (SITS) involves only one intercostal space with minimal skin incision, which means it can be the most minimally invasive technique up to date. We minimized the skin incision to a length of 2.5 cm to achieve the less chest wall trauma and the more cosmesis during SITS lobectomy for benign pulmonary disease. Four patients who had bronchiectasis [left lower lobe (LLL)], congenital lobar emphysema [left upper lobe (LUL)], aspergilloma [right upper lobe (RUL)], and hamartoma (RUL) were planned to undergo 2.5 cm SITS lobectomy. There were no conversion cases to multi-port video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) or thoracotomy. The mean operation time was 182±25 minutes. Chest drains were removed on postoperative day (POD) 2 in all patients. Three patients discharged on POD 3. One patient who discharged on POD 5 readmitted for delayed pleural effusion and treated with mini-tube insertion. There were no late complications or symptom relapses during the median follow-up of 13.5 months. A 2.5 cm SITS lobectomy can be alternative option for relatively young patients with benign lung disease.
