ObjectiveTo analyze the incidence and drainage pattern of the specific collateral vein (VL) located between several adjacent segments of the bilateral upper lung, and its clinical significance in the surgical treatment of early lung cancer. MethodsThe preoperative three-dimensional computed tomography bronchography and angiography (3D CTBA) data of 1 515 patients in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from 2017 to 2020 were analyzed retrospectively, including 524 males and 991 females, with an average age of 54.27±11.43 years. There were 712 patients of right upper lung and 803 patients of left upper lung. The incidence and drainage pattern of VL in bilateral upper lungs were analyzed. Furthermore, the imaging data and medical records of 113 patients in the left upper lung were reviewed to investigate the influence of the relative position relationship between nodules and VL on the selection of operation. ResultsThe overall incidence of VL was 72.7% (1102/1 515) in the bilateral upper lungs, including 68.0% (484/712) in the right upper lung, and 77.0% (618/803) in the left upper lung. The incidence of VL in the left side was significantly higher than that in the right side (P＜0. 05). VL mainly drained into V2a+b (327/484, 67.6%) in the right upper lung and into V1+2b+c (389/618, 62.9%) in the left upper lung. When the spherical simulative cutting margin of 2 cm of the nodule did not involve VL, it was more feasible to undergo sublobectomy than those whose simulative cutting margin of 2 cm involved VL, and the difference was statistically significant (91.9% vs. 61.5%, P＜0.05). When the spherical simulative cutting margin of 2 cm of nodule involved VL, the lesion located in the middle or inner zone was more feasible to undergo lobectomy than that in the outer zone, but the difference was not statistically significant (43.8% vs. 34.8%, P＞0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that diameter of the lesion, whether the spherical simulative margin of 2 cm involving VL and the depth ratio of the lesion were independent risk factors affecting the surgical options (P<0.05). ConclusionThe incidence of the specific collateral vein in bilateral upper lungs is high, and the drainage pattern is diverse, which has important guiding significance for preoperative planning and intraoperative manipulation. For deep nodules adjacent to VL, lobectomy or resection of left upper division is often performed to ensure a safe margin.