The lungs consist of different sections which are referred to as lobes. While the right lung has three, the left lung has two lobes. Lobectomy is a surgery that is performed on cancer patients. It involves the removal of a lobe since it is a site of malignant cancerous tumors.
It can also be a method of treatment for other conditions such as trauma on the lung that leads to blockage of essential blood vessels near the lungs, severe type of COPD or for tuberculosis. In this article, we will look at the types of procedures involved in lobectomy, potential risks and the factors that determine which type of procedure to follow.
Types of Lobectomy Procedures
There are two key types of procedures that are involved in lobectomy. The doctors decide which procedure is the most suitable by looking at the following factors:
- Type of cancer
- Location of the tumor
- Size of the tumor
- If the tumor has spread to nearby areas or not
- Pain level
- Lung function and capacity
- Health in general
- Medical history
Why is Lobectomy Performed?
As discussed earlier, lobectomy is performed to remove the affected portion of the lung due to lung cancer. Most often, a lobectomy is carried out for non- small cell lung cancers or NSCLC in which the tumor is restricted to a single lobe. Lobectomy is less invasive than other surgical methods like pneumonectomy and causes least stress to the other parts of the lung.
This helps to retain the lung function as much as possible. Since it involves a complete removal of the damaged area, it is more extensive than wedge resection surgery that is used to remove tumors.
Potential Complications and Risks
Since lobectomy is a major surgical intervention, it involves some complications. Here is a list of some potential complications that your surgeon would discuss with you:
- The most common complication is an air leak which requires the patient to breathe through a chest tube for more than 3-5 days.
- Pneumonia and other infections
- Internal bleeding
- Heart attack or irregular heartbeats
- Blood clots that may travel to the lungs
- An atypical passage that develops between the lungs’ airways and the lining between the membranes called bronchopleural fistula.
- Studies show that for open lobectomy which has been traditionally perfumed, there are higher rates of postoperative complications. The VATS procedure however, has less complications. It is not possible to perform this procedure in every case.
Final Thoughts
Dr Gokhale is the best lung transplant surgeon in India. He and his team have performed several heart and lung transplant surgeries in India. He is currently practicing in Apollo Hospital, Hyderabad and specializes in cardiothoracic and minimally access surgeries. Patients can approach him for Lobectomy Lung Surgery treatment in India.
They can also approach him for consultations regarding Lobectomy Complications and Prognosis. With an experience of performing more than 15,000 open heart surgeries at the pediatric and the adult level, Dr Gokhale is a well known cardiologist in the Indian medical fraternity.
