Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 2, 2026

Thoracoscopic Extended Right Middle Plus Lower Sleeve Lobectomy for Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer
Published on: February 27, 2026
A risk factor for kinked middle lobar bronchus following right upper lobectomy
Yoshiko Masuda1, Takashi Marutsuka2, Makoto Suzuki3
1Department of Thoracic Surgery, Kumamoto Chuo Hospital, Kumamoto, Japan yomokom19@gmail.com.
Background:
Kinking of the middle lobar bronchus is sometimes observed after a right upper lobectomy, but prevention and treatment have not been established. This study aimed to determine the risk factors for a kinked middle lobar bronchus causing postoperative middle lobe atelectasis.
Methods:
We performed a retrospective analysis of the medical records of 35 patients who underwent a right upper lobectomy in our hospital. Demographic and preoperative variables were compared in 4 patients with postoperative middle lobe atelectasis and kinking of the middle lobar bronchus and 31 without postoperative middle lobe atelectasis, determined by bronchoscopy and computed tomography findings.
Results:
There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of age, sex, body mass index, smoking status, lung function test results, or volume ratio of the right upper lobe. A shorter distance from the carina to the middle lobe orifice was the only risk factor for a kinked middle lobar bronchus identified (40.25 ± 2.45 vs. 48.06 ± 4.78 mm, p = 0.006).
Conclusion:
A short distance from the carina to the middle lobe orifice could be a risk factor for kinking of the middle lobar bronchus in postoperative middle lobe atelectasis after right upper lobectomy.
Related Concept Videos
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease III: Chronic Bronchitis Features
The Bronchial Tree
The trachea, commonly known as the windpipe, is a tube that connects the larynx (voice box) to the bronchi. At a point called the carina, it bifurcates into two primary bronchi. The right primary bronchus is wider, shorter, and more vertical than the left primary...
Endoscopic Studies I: Bronchoscopy and Thoracoscopy
Bronchoscopy
Description
Bronchoscopy is a procedure that involves direct visualization of the larynx, trachea, and bronchi for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. A flexible fiber optic or rigid bronchoscope is used to carry out the procedure. The fiber-optic bronchoscope is more frequently used due...
Pulmonary Cycle: Exhalation

