Application value and clinical effect analysis of suspension technique in difficult thoracoscopic lobectomy: A retrospective study

To explore the application value of suspension technique in difficult thoracoscopic lobectomy, evaluate its impact on perioperative indicators, surgical quality, complication rates, and postoperative recovery, and provide evidence-based medical evidence for clinical practice. A single-center retrospective cohort study was conducted, including 60 patients who underwent difficult thoracoscopic lobectomy from June 2023 to May 2025. Patients were divided into observation group (suspension technique group, n=30) and control group (conventional technique group, n=30) based on whether suspension technique was used intraoperatively. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to control confounding factors with a 1:1 matching ratio and caliper value of 0.02. Matching variables included surgeon experience, surgical year, and pleural adhesion severity in addition to baseline covariates. Perioperative indicators (operative time, intraoperative blood loss, conversion to thoracotomy rate, postoperative hospital stay, etc.), surgical quality indicators (number and stations of lymph node dissection, margin status, etc.), complications, and postoperative recovery indicators (pain scores, pulmonary function recovery, quality of life, etc.) were compared between the two groups. Sex-stratified subgroup analyses were performed to assess potential differences in surgical outcomes between male and female patients. After PSM matching, baseline characteristics were well-balanced between the two groups (all covariates SMD