Patients with small-sized pulmonary nodules who underwent lobectomy or SR between 2020 and 2023 in a single surgical team were retrospectively screened. All the surgical approach was jointly determined by three experienced surgeons (at least 15 years, Doctor Liang Chen, Weibing Wu and Zhicheng He). Patients satisfied with the following criteria were initially reserved: (1) the maximum nodule diameter ≤ 2 cm; (2) single malignant nodule; (3) intentional resection; (4) histopathological confirmed primary NSCLC. Further, patients with (1) interlobar lesions; (2) nodules in the right middle lobe; (3) receiving neoadjuvant before surgery; (4) poor CT quality were excluded.
