Thoracoscopic pulmonary combined with right S¹a + S²a subsegmentectomy for deep intersegmental nodule surgery

The oncologic efficacy of pulmonary segmentectomy for early stage lung cancer has been long established. However, with the assistance of preoperative three-dimensional computed tomography bronchography and angiography (3D-CTBA), we found some nodules located at the intersegmental plane and in proximity to the intersegmental vein, which we designated as intersegmental nodules. For such nodules, an extended segmentectomy, bi-segmentectomy or lobectomy is usually performed to ensure a safe margin, as precautions should be taken to ensure no loss of lung function. Recently, our center innovatively developed a new method to resect such lesions by combining the subsegments around them. Here we report a case of combined subsegmentectomy of the right apical (S¹a) and dorsal (S²a) subsegments for the treatment of early stage lung cancer.