The bronchopulmonary segments of the lungs
A knowledge of the finer arrangement of the bronchial tree is an essential
Table 1 The named divisions of the main bronchi.
Right main bronchus •
Left main bronchus
Upper lobe bronchus
Middle lobe bronchus
Lower lobe bronchus
Upper lobe bronchus
Lingular bronchus
Lower lobe bronchus
Apical
Posterior
Anterior
Lateral
Medial
Apical Basal
Apicoposterior Anterior Superior Inferior
Apical Basal
Medial (cardiac) Anterior Lateral Posterior
Anterior
Lateral
Posterior
- I
Right
Upper lobe
1 Apical bronchus
2 Posterior bronchus
3 Anterior bronchus
Left
Upper lobe
1 } Apicoposterior bronchus
3 Anterior bronchus Lingula
4 Superior bronchus
5 Inferior bronchus
Lower lobe
6 Apical bronchus
Right
Upper lobe
1 Apical bronchus
2 Posterior bronchus
3 Anterior bronchus
Middle lobe
4 Lateral bronchus
5 Medial bronchus
Lower lobe
6 Apical bronchus
7 Medial basal (cardiac) bronchus
8 Anterior basal bronchus
9 Lateral basal bronchus
10 Posterior basal bronchus
Left
Upper lobe
1 } Apicoposterior bronchus
3 Anterior bronchus Lingula
4 Superior bronchus
5 Inferior bronchus
Lower lobe
6 Apical bronchus
8 Anterior basal bronchus
9 Lateral basal bronchus 10 Posterior basal bronchus
Fig. 20 The named divisions of the main bronchi.
prerequisite to intelligent appreciation of lung radiology, to interpretation of bronchoscopy and to the surgical resection of lung segments. Each lobe of the lung is subdivided into a number of bronchopulmonary segments, each of which is supplied by a segmental bronchus, artery and vein. These segments are wedge-shaped with their apices at the hilum and bases at the lung surface; if excised accurately along their boundaries (which are marked by intersegmental veins), there is little bleeding or alveolar air leakage from the raw lung surface.
The names and arrangements of the bronchi are given in Table 1; each bronchopulmonary segment takes its title from that of its supplying segmental bronchus (listed in the right-hand column of the table).
- Fig. 21 (a) The segments of the right lung. (b) The segments of the left lung.
The left upper lobe has a lingular segment, supplied by the lingular bronchus from the main upper lobe bronchus. This lobe is equivalent to the right middle lobe whose bronchus arises as a branch from the main bronchus. Apart from this, differences between the two sides are very slight; on the left, the upper lobe bronchus gives off a combined apicoposterior segmental bronchus and an anterior branch, whereas all three branches are separate on the right side.
On the right also there is a small medial (or cardiac) lower lobe bronchus which is absent on the left, the lower lobes being otherwise mirror images of each other.
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