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.