BackgroundThe elderly population experiences diminished physiological function and reduced tolerance to surgery and anesthesia. This study explored the role of the esketamine-based multimodal low-opioid anaesthesia during the perioperative period in improving the quality of postoperative recovery in elderly patients undergoing thoracoscopic radical lung cancer resection.Materials and methodsThis randomized controlled clinical trial enrolled 144 patients aged 60 years or older, with American Soci