Simultaneous visualization of pulmonary nodules and intersegmental planes on fluorescent images in pulmonary segmentectomy.

Objectives: The technique of simultaneously visualizing pulmonary nodules and the intersegmental plane using fluorescent images was developed to measure the distance between them intraoperatively.

Methods: Patients who underwent pulmonary segmentectomy were consecutively included in this study between March 2016 and July 2019. Computed tomography or electromagnetic bronchoscopy-guided localization with indocyanine green-lipiodol emulsion was performed on the day of surgery. In the middle of the surgery, after dividing the segmental artery, vein and bronchus to a targeted segment, 0.3-0.5 mg/kg of indocyanine green was injected intravenously.

Results: In total, 31 patients (17 men and 14 women with a mean age of 63.2 ± 9.8 years) were included in this study. The mean size and depth of the nodules were 1.2 ± 0.5 (range 0.3-2.5) cm and 16.4 ± 9.9 (range 1.0-42.0) mm, respectively. Pulmonary nodules and intersegmental plane of all the patients were visualized using a fluorescent thoracoscope. The resection margins were more than the size of the tumour or were 2 (mean 2.4 ± 1.2) cm in size in all patients except one. The resection margin of this patient looked sufficient on the intraoperative view. However, adenocarcinoma in situ at the resection margin was identified based on the pathological report. The mean duration of the operation was 168.7 ± 53.3 min, and the chest tube was removed on an average of 4.7 ± 1.8 days after surgery in all patients.

Conclusions: The dual visualization technique using indocyanine green could facilitate an easier measurement of the distance between pulmonary nodules and the intersegmental plane during pulmonary segmentectomy.