Technique of skeletal navigation for localizing solitary pulmonary nodules

We herein detail a novel method of skeletal navigation for localizing small solitary pulmonary nodules of 8-30 mm size and at a distance of less than 15 mm from visceral pleura. Thirty-four lesions found in 29 patients were successfully localized. All 34 target nodules first underwent wedge resections, and there were no cases of technical failure of the present method. This technique incurs no additional cost and complications as caused by other localization approaches. Additionally, this approach provides a backup method in cases of mark displacement.