Precision & Minimally Invasive Care: Protecting Lungs with Surgical Mastery
Precision & Minimally Invasive Care: Protecting Lungs with Surgical Mastery
— Professor Li Jian from Peking University First Hospital Performs High-Difficulty Uniportal Thoracoscopic Surgery at Wuwei Cancer Hospital
On August 19, Professor Li Jian, a leading authority in thoracic surgery from Peking University First Hospital and a pioneer of the uniportal thoracoscopic minimally invasive surgery system in China, visited the Wuwei Heavy Ion Center of Gansu Wuwei Cancer Hospital. There, he successfully performed a uniportal thoracoscopic left upper lobectomy on a patient with a lung mass. Employing his signature techniques—minimally invasive incisions that preserve intercostal nerves and an anterograde anatomical resection system—Professor Li brought a landmark surgical approach to the people of Gansu, embodying the principle of "minimal trauma, maximal cure."
"My greatest wish is for cancer patients to avoid unnecessary detours and receive the best possible treatment," Professor Li often says. This simple yet profound statement has served as the guiding compass of his three-decade-long medical career.
Driven by this mission, he has dedicated himself to clinical thoracic surgery, relentlessly innovating and optimizing minimally invasive lung cancer surgical systems. His original surgical philosophy stands apart from mainstream laparoscopic techniques in China, establishing unique technical benchmarks in incision selection, access protection, anatomical sequencing, and lymph node dissection. With a particular focus on reducing the risks of postoperative chronic chest pain and local recurrence, he is internationally recognized as a leading figure in highly complex thoracic surgery.
The patient in this case presented with a space-occupying lesion in the left upper lobe, necessitating a lobectomy. After meticulously reviewing the patient's scans and precisely assessing the location of the lesion and the pathways of the blood vessels and bronchi, Professor Li decided to employ his signature uniportal thoracoscopic technique. During the procedure, he placed a precisely sized incision on the anterior chest wall (near the anterior axillary line). Avoiding the use of retractors and any forceful tissue retraction, he maximized the protection of the main and branch intercostal nerves, thereby eliminating the risk of long-term postoperative chest pain and numbness at the source. The surgery featured thorough lymph node dissection with clear anatomical layers, establishing a solid foundation for the patient's long-term prognosis.
This surgery represents a practical step in the deep collaboration between our hospital and top-tier thoracic surgery experts nationwide. It provided a high-level academic exchange opportunity for the thoracic surgery team at the Wuwei Heavy Ion Center. Professor Li offered detailed explanations and demonstrations on key aspects such as incision design, nerve protection, anatomical sequencing, and lymph node dissection, giving young physicians a more intuitive understanding of the precision required in minimally invasive procedures. Moving forward, our hospital will continue to leverage the advantages of the Heavy Ion platform, deepen academic interactions and technical collaboration with authoritative experts across the country, continuously enhance our comprehensive diagnosis and treatment capabilities for thoracic tumors, and ensure that high-quality medical resources better benefit the people of Gansu.
Author: Yang Yang
First Review: Yang Yang
Second Review: Guo Yishan
Final Review: Cai Qinghua
Gansu Wuwei Cancer Hospital (Wuwei Academy of Medical and Science)
（甘）医广【2025】第11-14-387号
