Comparison of Short- and Long-Term Outcomes in Patients Undergoing Sleeve Lobectomy With or Without Buttressing the Bronchial Anastomosis

This large single-center retrospective study of 682 patients compared outcomes after sleeve lobectomy for non-small cel lung cancer (NSCLC) with and without buttressing the bronchial anastomosis using autogenous flaps. After propensity weighting, perioperative outcomes, including postoperative complications, bronchopleural fistula, and anastomotic stenosis, were similar between groups, with the exception of a longer operative time in the wrapping group. Five-year recurrence-free and overall survival rates did not differ significantly. Multivariable analyses confirmed that buttressing was not associated with reduced complications or improved long-term survival. These results suggest that routine bronchial anastomosis wrapping does not confer additional benefits and may be unnecessary.