Invited editorial on “Fissureless fissure-last video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy for all lung lobes: a better alternative to decrease the incidence of prolonged air leak?”

Thoracic surgeons sometimes have difficulty controlling postoperative air-leakage, particularly in patients with dense fissures. Several studies have shown that prolonged air leak (PAL) is a frequent complication after anatomic pulmonary resections, occurring in 7.6–10% of all patients with anatomic pulmonary resections (1-4).