Predicting postoperative exercise capacity after major lung resection.

PURPOSE

This study investigates whether postoperative exercise capacity can be predicted from preoperative lung perfusion scintigraphy and the number of subsegments resected.

METHODS

We studied 315 patients, with 158 being assigned odd numbers and 157 being assigned even numbers. In the 158 patients assigned odd numbers, the predicted postoperative VO2 max/m2 (ppo VO2 max/m2) was obtained from the results of lung perfusion scintigraphy and the number of subsegments scheduled for resection. We then examined correlations with the actual values, 2 weeks and 1 month postoperatively, to obtain a regression equation (Series 1). In the 157 patients assigned even numbers, the ppo VO2 max/m2 corrected by the regression equation derived from Series 1 (corrected-ppo VO2 max/m2) was compared with the actual values, 2 weeks and 1 month postoperatively, to establish whether the postoperative VO2 max/m2 could be predicted.

RESULTS

The regression equation between the ppo VO2 max/m2 and its actual value was y = 0.83x + 103, 2 weeks postoperatively, and y = 0.923x + 82, 1 month postoperatively. The difference between the corrected-ppo VO2 max/m2 and the actual postoperative value was small.

CONCLUSIONS

Calculating the residual [Formula: see text]o2 max/m2 preoperatively from the results of lung perfusion scintigraphy and the number of segments scheduled for resection is useful for predicting postoperative exercise capacity.