title: Clinical experience of sleeve lobectomy with bronchoplasty using a continuous absorbable barbed suture.
abstract: Anastomosis in bronchoplasty is usually performed using interrupted sutures, which are considered safe, reliable, and secure. However, placing interrupted sutures can be complex and time-consuming. There have been recent reports of continuous suturing using standard suture materials in bronchoplasty. We have experienced four cases of sleeve lobectomy with bronchial anastomosis in continuous fashion using a novel absorbable barbed suture device, the V-Loc™ wound closure device (Covidien, USA), which facilitates secure wound closure without knot-tying. Two patients underwent sleeve upper lobectomy and two underwent sleeve upper-middle lobectomy. Surgical approach was completely thoracoscopic in one patient and open in three. There were no intraoperative difficulties such as cutting or loosening, and a leak test was negative in all cases. One patient had pneumonia postoperatively and developed anastomotic stenosis 4 months after surgery, which did not require treatment. All patients were alive, without local recurrence, at a mean follow-up of 11.5 months postoperatively.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Tenri Hospital, 200, Mishima, Tenri, Nara, 632-8552, Japan. t-nakaga@tenriyorozu.jp.
authors.forename: Tatsuo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakagawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Tenri Hospital, 200, Mishima, Tenri, Nara, 632-8552, Japan.
authors.forename: Naohisa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Chiba
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Tenri Hospital, 200, Mishima, Tenri, Nara, 632-8552, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuichiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ueda
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Tenri Hospital, 200, Mishima, Tenri, Nara, 632-8552, Japan.
authors.forename: Masao
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Tenri Hospital, 200, Mishima, Tenri, Nara, 632-8552, Japan.
authors.forename: Yasuto
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sakaguchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Tenri Hospital, 200, Mishima, Tenri, Nara, 632-8552, Japan.
authors.forename: Shinya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000714:Anastomosis, Surgical / Q000379:methods; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D001980:Bronchi / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011013:Pneumonectomy / Q000379:methods; D013537:Sutures; D013906:Thoracoscopy / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials
keywords: Absorbable barbed suture; Bronchoplasty; Sleeve lobectomy