During lung cancer surgery, a lack of appropriate anatomical landmarks makes the determination
of lymph node stations arbitrary. With the aim of remedying this situation, we have
focused on the confluence of the internal mammary vein (IMV) to the superior vena
cava. Preoperative multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) makes it possible to accurately
measure the distance between the caudal border of station 1 and the confluence of
the IMV. This preoperative measurement makes the determination of station 1 more objective.
Lung cancer surgery - mediastinal lymph nodes - computed tomography