Changes in ventilatory capacity, exercise capacity, and pulmonary blood flow after lobectomy in patients with lung cancer--which lobectomy has the most loss in exercise capacity?

The aim of this study was to compare the changes in ventilatory capacity, exercise capacity, and pulmonary blood flow (PBF) in the operated lung after lobectomy according to the lobe resected. Thirty-one patients underwent right upper lobectomy (RUL), 26 left upper lobectomy (LUL), 24 right lower lobectomy (RLL), and 25 left lower lobectomy (LLL). Pulmonary function tests, exercise capacity tests, and perfusion lung scans were performed preoperatively and six months to one year after lobectomy. RUL was associated with significantly less loss in forced vital capacity (FVC) than RLL or LLL (P<0.05). LUL was associated with the greatest loss in maximum oxygen consumption (VO2) (P<0.05). LUL was associated with significantly greater loss in PBF in the operated lung than RUL (P<0.05). LUL had a significantly higher negative value in percentage change in (VO2) --percentage change in FVC, and percentage change in PBF--percentage change in FVC than RLL or LLL (P<0.05). LUL was not associated with the greatest loss in ventilatory capacity or PBF, although it was associated with the greatest loss in . Each lobectomy has its own peculiarity in magnitude of loss in (VO2), PBF or FVC.