Detailed Surgical Techniques and Short-term Clinical Outcomes of Sleeve Lobectomy for Locally Advanced Right Lower Lobe Lung Cancer

Background/Aim: The surgical techniques of pulmonary resection with bronchoplasty for right lower lobe lung cancer are not well investigated. This study aimed to provide a detailed description of the pulmonary resection with bronchoplasty technique, including the appropriate patient selection process, in right lower lobe lung cancer patients. Patients and Methods: The clinical courses of 17 right lower lobe lung cancer patients who had undergone pulmonary resection with bronchoplasty were retrospectively investigated. Results: Of the 17 patients, 9 had right lower sleeve lobectomy, 5 had right middle and lower sleeve lobectomy, and 3 had right lower sleeve lobectomy with double-barreled bronchoplasty. The median follow-up period was 26 months. There were no treatment-related deaths. Distant organ recurrence was observed in 5 patients and local recurrence was identified in 3. One patient had pneumonia and another had prolonged air leak. Two patients, each of whom had either lower sleeve lobectomy or lower sleeve lobectomy with double-barreled bronchoplasty, developed bronchopleural fistula, and both patients were treated with additional surgery. Conclusion: Pulmonary resection with bronchoplasty should be performed only in oncologically and anatomically select patients. Our findings can be used as a guide to select the optimal treatments for this subgroup of patients.