Abstract:Objective To compare the clinical efficacy of uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic sublobar resection versus segmental resection in elderly patients with pulmonary nodules.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 103 elderly patients with pulmonary nodules treated at Shengli Oilfield Central Hospital from February 2021 to January 2022. Patients were divided into the sublobar resection group (52 patients) and the segmental resection group (51 patients). We compared intraoperative and postoperative recovery, perioperative stress response, pulmonary function, quality of life, perioperative complications, and tumor recurrence and metastasis between the two groups.Results There were no significant differences in intraoperative blood loss, number of lymph nodes sampled, specimen margin distance, postoperative tube removal time, and postoperative hospital stay between the two groups (P >0.05). The number of subsegments resected and postoperative chest drainage volume were lower in the sublobar resection group (P <0.05), whereas the operation time was longer than in the segmental resection group (P <0.05). Differences in preoperative and 24-hour postoperative levels of cortisol, malondialdehyde, and reactive oxygen species were lower in the sublobar resection group (P <0.05). The differences in forced vital capacity (FVC) and the ratio of forced expiratory volume in one second to FVC (FEV1/FVC) before and after treatment were higher in the sublobar resection group (P <0.05). Changes in the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Lung (FACT-L) scores before and after treatment were also higher in the sublobar resection group (P <0.05). The incidence of complications was comparable between the groups (P >0.05), and there were no cases of recurrence or metastasis during the follow-up period.Conclusion Compared to segmental resection, uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic sublobar resection in elderly patients with pulmonary nodules can better preserve lung function, reduce postoperative chest drainage, mitigate perioperative stress responses, and improve postoperative quality of life. However, the oncological efficacy needs further validation through follow-up data.