Clinical Outcomes of Fissureless Technique to Practice Lobectomy with Fused Fissure for Lung Cancer

Background and objective Traditional lobectomy techniques often lead to persistent air leak (PAL) for lung cancer patients companied with fused fissure. The aim of this study is to evaluate the outcomes of those patients undergoing fissureless lobectomy. Methods The clinical data were retro-respectively analyzed from 274 lung cancer patients with fused fissure who received surgical procedures from August 2011 to December 2012. Patients were divided into fissureless group (group A, n=121) and traditional group (group B, n=153) according to the type of lobectomy techniques. The data were analyzed using SPSS 17.0. The air leak cessation was determined using the Kaplan-Meier method. Multiple risk analysis was developed by Logistic regression. Results The incidences of PAL in 2 groups were 1.7% and 9.2%, respectively (P=0.009). The air leak cessation in group A was significantly lower than that in group B (P<0.001). There was no statistical different between 2 groups in the duration of drainage, amount of fluid and length of hospital stay. Conclusion The fissureless lobectomy to fused fissure decreases the incidence of persistent air leak and duration of air leak. This technique should be considered effective to fused fissure lobectomy.