Novel Methods of Intraoperative Localization and Margin Assessment of Pulmonary Nodules

Lung cancer screening has lead to frequent diagnosis of solitary pulmonary nodules, many of which require surgical biopsy for diagnosis and intervention. Subcentimeter and central nodules are particularly difficult to visualize or palpate during surgery, thus nodule localization can be a difficult problem for the thoracic surgeon. Although minimally invasive techniques including transthoracic computed tomography and bronchoscopic-guided biopsy may establish a diagnosis, these methods do not help locate nodules during surgery and can lead to inadequate tissue sampling. Therefore, surgical biopsy is often required for diagnosis and management of solitary pulmonary nodules. Additionally, after an excision, intraoperative margin assessment is important to prevent local recurrence. This is important for bronchial margins following lobectomy or parenchymal margins following sublobar resection. First, we examine methods of preoperative lesion marking, including wire placement, dye marking, ultrasound, fluoroscopy, and molecular imaging. Second, we describe the current state of the art in intraoperative margin assessment techniques.