Postoperative Pulmonary Function Assessment Based on Deep Learning Study

Improvements in low-dose CT screening have led to an increase in early-stage NSCLC diagnoses, with surgical resection-usually lobectomy or segmentectomy-remaining the primary curative option. In Hong Kong, however, patients frequently present with comorbidities such as chronic respiratory disease or cardiovascular issues, making the preservation of healthy lung tissue crucial for their long-term quality of life. Traditional surgical resection, such as lobectomy or segmentectomy, has certain limitations in terms of functional preservation. In contrast, robotic/navigational bronchoscopic ablation has emerged in recent years as a novel minimally invasive endoscopic treatment strategy. This approach has been implemented in select centers and demonstrates potential advantages, including faster postoperative recovery, reduced trauma, and improved preservation of pulmonary function. By leveraging advanced navigation systems, bronchoscopic ablation enables precise localization and ablation of pulmonary nodules, avoiding the extensive resection of healthy lung tissue required in traditional surgery. These benefits hold promise for enhancing patients' long-term quality of life and survival rates. Moreover, conventional pulmonary function tests like FEV₁ and diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide provide only a global assessment of respiratory capacity, which may not fully capture the regional changes in pulmonary function that occur following segmentectomy or lobectomy. Likewise, basic CT volumetry overlooks finer anatomical details such as segmental airway distribution, microvascular networks, and local alveolar compliance. Furthermore, there is currently a paucity of direct comparative studies between robotic/navigational bronchoscopic ablation and traditional surgical resection regarding postoperative pulmonary function and long-term outcomes. Supported by Research Grants Council, our work since 2019 has validated the feasibility and safety of this technique,