Preservation of pulmonary branch of vagus nerve in three-dimensional thoracoscopic radical resection of lung cancer: a retrospective study

Background: Preservation of the pulmonary branch of the vagus nerve during systematic dissection of mediastinal lymph nodes in radical resection of lung cancer was studied to explore its role in reducing postoperative complications. Methods: The clinical data of 80 patients who underwent three-dimensional thoracoscopic radical resection of lung cancer in the Department of Thoracic Surgery of Huizhou Municipal Central Hospital from 2020 to 2022 were analyzed. The patients were divided into two groups according to whether the pulmonary branch of the vagus nerve was retained during intraoperative carinal lymph node dissection: those in whom the pulmonary branch of the vagus nerve was retained and those in whom the pulmonary branch of the vagus nerve was not retained. The operative duration, first postoperative defecation time, chest tube duration, total chest drainage volume, average pain intensity during the first 5 days, incidence of postoperative pneumonia, and postoperative hospitalization duration were compared between the two groups. Results: There was no significant difference in the first postoperative defecation time between the two groups (P > 0.05). However, there were statistically significant differences in the operative duration, chest tube duration, total chest drainage volume, average pain intensity during the first 5 days, white blood cell count and procalcitonin level on postoperative days 1 and 5, and postoperative hospitalization duration between the two groups (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Preserving the pulmonary branch of the vagus nerve during carinal lymph node dissection in three-dimensional thoracoscopic radical resection of lung cancer can reduce postoperative complications.