PULMONARY-FUNCTION 3-12 MONTHS AFTER PNEUMONECTOMY, LOBECTOMY OR BILOBECTOMY FOR LUNG-CANCER

Pulmonary function was studied 3 and 12 months after pulmonary resecti on for lung cancer in 37 patients, ten of whom had undergone pneumonec tomy, 19 lobectomy and eight bilobectomy. The resection was right-side d in 25 cases and left-sided in 12. Tumour site and diameter were regi stered, arterial blood gases measured and spirometry performed. Three months after all types of resection there was significant decrease in forced vital capacity (FVC), and forced expiratory volume/1 second (FE V(1)), but not in FEV(1)/FVC%. At 12 months pneumonectomy had reduced FVC to 58% of predicted values, FEV(1) to 50% and FEV(1)/FVC% to 70%. After lobectomy the corresponding figures were 86%, 73% and 67% and af ter bilobectomy they were 88%, 78% and 70%. Between 3 and 12 months po stoperatively, FVC increased in all groups, significantly in those wit h lobectomy or bilobectomy (p < 0.01 and 0.05, respectively).