Functional evaluation before lung resection

To select lung resection candidates that are fit enough to tolerate surgery and its short and long term consequences, pulmonary function testing (PFT) and sometimes cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) are needed. For certain patients with borderline functions on PFT or CPET radionuclide lung scans are necessary to calculate postoperative predicted function, taking into account the extent of resection and the functional loss expected. An algorithm is presented for a stepwise approach in the functional assessment of lung resection candidates.