National Trends and Outcomes of Segmentectomy in the Society of Thoracic Surgery Database.

Abstract Background Segmentectomy is gaining popularity as a parenchyma sparing alternative for anatomic lung resection. We sought to investigate temporal changes in patient selection, case volume and outcomes for segmentectomy using the STS national database. Methods The STS General Thoracic Database was queried for patients who had undergone segmentectomy as the primary procedure between years 2002-2018. The ACOSOG definition of high-risk patients based on pulmonary function and major cardiovascular comorbidities was applied. Annual trends of case volume, patient risk profile, surgical indication, approach and outcomes were analyzed. Results A total of 10,629 patients were analyzed from 310 contributing centers. The annual segmentectomy volume more than doubled from Conclusions Segmentectomies are increasingly performed nationally, with a steady decline in the subset of high-risk patients over time. Complication rates have decreased significantly, parallel to the increasing use minimally-invasive techniques by VATS and robotic surgery.