Pneumonectomy with intrapericardial ligation of the pulmonary artery and vein: analysis of 130 patients with advanced lung cancer

Objective: To evaluate the clinical outcomes of pneumonectomy with intrapericardial ligation of the pulmonary artery and vein in patients with advanced lung cancer. Methods: The clinical records of 130 patients undergoing pneumonectomy with intrapericardial ligation of the pulmonary artery for advanced lung cancer diagnosed between April 2006 and April 2011 were collected and reviewed. The postoperative morbidity and the operative mortality were analyzed, and the associations between the survival and the pathology and TNM staging were evaluated. Results: The operative mortality was 0.77% (1/130), and the postoperative morbidity was 14.6% (19/130). The overall one-, three and five-year survival rates were 75%, 43% and 20%, respectively, and those were all higher in the patients receiving lung lobectomy than in the patients receiving pneumonectomy (P<0.01) and also higher in the patients receiving left lobectomy than in the patients receiving right lobectomy (P<0.01).Conclusion: Pneumonectomy with intrapericardial ligation of the pulmonary artery and vein can extend the resection range and increase the resection rate of advanced lung cancer, as well as improve the postoperative survival. DOI:10.3781/j.issn.1000-7431.2012.02.011