Subcarinal lymph node dissection facilitated by applying suture passer in uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery

With the advancement of surgical skills and instrumentation, uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (UniVATS) has become a popular option for the treatment of early stage lung cancer surgery. However, performing subcarinal lymph node dissection remains technically challenging under UniVATS view. We introduce a novel technique that utilized a suture passer to improve the exposure of the subcarinal area and simplify lymph node dissection, which has the potential for widespread adoption in clinical practice. There were 13 lung cancer patients who underwent UniVATS lobectomy with mediastinal lymphadenectomy in our institution from July to August 2022. Clinical data of the patients were documented and reviewed. The study population consisted of nine females and four males, with an average age of 57.5 +/- 9.1 years. UniVATS lobectomy with mediastinal lymphadectomy was successfully performed in all patients without conversion to open surgery. The mean operation time was 90.7 +/- 36.0 min (53-178 min), intraoperative blood loss was 73.1 +/- 43.8 mL (50-200 mL), and postoperative hospital stay was 2.9 +/- 0.3 days (2-3 days). No complications related to lymph node dissection, such as chylothorax, occurred. Our novel method of using a suture passer could simplify the procedure of subcarinal lymph node dissection during UniVATS in initial clinical practice. Further comparative studies are warranted in the future.