Postoperative Imaging and Complications in Resection of Lung Cancer

Surgical resection offers the best hope of cure for patients with operable early-stage lung cancer. Wedge resection, segmentectomy, lobectomy, or pneumonectomy may be performed depending on the size and location of the tumor. Radiologists must be familiar with the types of surgical resection utilized in the treatment of lung carcinoma and with their normal and abnormal postsurgical appearance on imaging studies. Prompt identification of postoperative complications on imaging is essential to appropriate patient management and helps to determine when additional intervention is warranted.