3D Lung Reconstructions Using Open-source Software for Lung Cancer Surgery (3D-LUNG)

March 23, 2026 updated by: Erik de Loos

Evaluating Three-dimensional Lung Reconstructions for Uniportal Thoracoscopic Lung Resections Using Open-source Software

Preoperative three-dimensional (3D) lung reconstructions can reduce intraoperative blood loss, conversion rate, and operation duration. Commercial products predominantly provide these 3D reconstructions, hence the aim of this study was to assess the usability and performance of preoperative 3D lung reconstructions created with open-source software.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

A single-center prospective pilot study is conducted within the thoracic surgery department of the Zuyderland Medical Center, Heerlen, the Netherlands. Patients are recruited during preoperative consultation with the thoracic surgeon. The aim of this study is to include at least 12 patients in this pilot study based on the sample size for pilot studies.

Before the pilot study, the surgeons involved in the study set several requirements for the 3D lung reconstructions. A technical physician, a healthcare professional in the Netherlands who combines knowledge of technology and medicine and is licensed to perform medical interventions, creates three-dimensional lung reconstructions using open-source 3D Slicer software that fulfills these aforementioned requirements and uses the available preoperative diagnostic late arterial phase contrast-enhanced CT scans.

Three thoracic surgeons (with at least five years of uniportal VATS experience) and one surgical resident in thoracic surgery assess these 3D lung reconstructions for preoperative planning of uniportal VATS anatomical resections and compare the outcome measures based on the 3D lung reconstructions with the 2D CT scan and intraoperative findings.

Patient characteristics, including age, sex, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status, body mass index, American Society of Anesthesiologists classification, forced expiratory volume in 1s (FEV1), diffusion capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide by the single-breath technique (DLCO-SB), intoxications, clinical Tumor Nodule Metastasis (TNM) classification 8th edition, previous thoracic surgery, and comorbidities are extracted from patient records. The following perioperative and postoperative data are collected: surgical approach, planned lung resection, performed lung resection, surgery duration, conversion, blood loss, surgery difficulty, the radicality of resection, pathological TNM classification 8th edition, tumor size, final pathology, drain duration, length of hospital stay, and complications within 30 days of surgery. The difficulty of the surgical procedure will be assessed by the thoracic surgeon and rated on a 5-point Likert scale from 1 (very easy) to 5 (very difficult). Length of hospital stay is defined as the number of days between the first day after surgery and the day the patient was clinically discharged.

Descriptive statistical analyses are performed in IBM SPSS Statistics v28 (MacOS, Armonk, New York, United States). Missing data will be reported as such.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
13

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Netherlands
    • Limburg
      • Heerlen, Limburg, Netherlands, 6419PC
        • Zuyderland Medical Center

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients referred for a segmentectomy or lobectomy

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Patients with suspected or biopsy-proven lung cancer scheduled for video-assisted thoracoscopy surgery for lobectomy or segmentectomy

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Computed Tomography scan contained motion artifacts
  • Surgery was canceled
  • Planned surgery changed intraoperatively to another procedure
  • Patients who did not provide informed consent

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Preoperative 3D lung reconstruction
Patients who were planned for an anatomical lung resection with preoperative 3D lung reconstruction from CT images

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
System Usability Score
Time Frame: Single-point evaluation after surgery (at day 0)
System Usability Score Questionnaire. This questionnaire includes 10 statements rated from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). The even-numbered questions contributed to the scale position 5 minus the scale position, while the odd-numbered questions contributed to the scale position minus 1. The final score was calculated by the sum of the even and uneven-numbered questions, multiplied by 2.5. The minimum system usability score is 0 and the maximum is 100. A system usability score above 68 is considered above average.
Single-point evaluation after surgery (at day 0)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Segmental lung nodule location
Time Frame: Baseline and during surgery (at day 0)
The performance of the 3D lung reconstructions is evaluated based on the anatomical validity of the 3D lung reconstructions compared to the two-dimensional (2D) CT scan and intraoperative findings. Before surgery, a number of anatomical components of the 3D lung reconstructions are assessed. During surgery, the anatomical validity of these anatomical components is verified. One of the anatomical components includes the segmental location of the lung nodule.
Baseline and during surgery (at day 0)
Number of arteries to target lobe or segment
Time Frame: Baseline and during surgery (at day 0)
The performance of the 3D lung reconstructions is evaluated based on the anatomical validity of the 3D lung reconstructions compared to the two-dimensional (2D) CT scan and intraoperative findings. Before surgery, a number of anatomical components of the 3D lung reconstructions are assessed. During surgery, the anatomical validity of these anatomical components is verified. One of the anatomical components includes the number of arteries towards the target lobe or segment.
Baseline and during surgery (at day 0)
Anatomical variations
Time Frame: Baseline and during surgery (at day 0)
The performance of the 3D lung reconstructions is evaluated based on the anatomical validity of the 3D lung reconstructions compared to the two-dimensional (2D) CT scan and intraoperative findings. Before surgery, a number of anatomical components of the 3D lung reconstructions are assessed. During surgery, the anatomical validity of these anatomical components is verified. One of the anatomical components includes the presence of (a) anatomical variation(s).
Baseline and during surgery (at day 0)
Potential change of surgery or surgical plan
Time Frame: Single-point evaluation after surgery (at day 0)
As another part of the evaluation of the performance, the potential impact of the 3D lung reconstructions on the surgical plan was also considered. Therefore, the surgeon was asked after surgery if the 3D lung reconstruction would have resulted in a preoperative change in surgical approach.
Single-point evaluation after surgery (at day 0)
Intraoperative use of 3D lung reconstruction
Time Frame: Single-point evaluation after surgery (at day 0)
As final part of the evaluation of the performance, the potential value during surgery of the 3D lung reconstructions was also considered. Therefore, the surgeon was asked after surgery whether they would like to have used the 3D lung reconstruction during surgery via a tablet for example.
Single-point evaluation after surgery (at day 0)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Erik de Loos

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Erik de Loos, PhD, Department of Surgery, Zuyderland Medical Center, Heerlen, the Netherlands

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
December 21, 2022

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
March 13, 2023

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
April 4, 2023

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
October 31, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 9, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
November 15, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
March 27, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 23, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • Z2022177
  • METCZ20220105 (Other Identifier: METC Z)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, ER de Loos, upon reasonable request.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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