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Updated: Dec 25, 2025

Author Spotlight: Learning Systematic Bronchoscopy in a Simulation-Base Setting
Published on: June 23, 2023
Pulmonary vessels and bronchial anatomy of the left lower lobe
Ryunosuke Maki1, Masahiro Miyajima1, Keishi Ogura2
1Department of Thoracic Surgery, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine and Hospital, South 1, West 16, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, 060-8543, Japan.
Purpose:
To identify and clarify the comprehensive anatomic patterns in the left lower lobe (LLL).
Methods:
Using computed tomography (CT) imaging data, including that obtained using three-dimensional CT, we reviewed the anatomic patterns of the pulmonary vessels and bronchi in the left lungs of 539 patients, focusing on the LLL.
Results:
The two-stem type in A6 was observed in 131 (24.7%) patients and the three-stem type in A6 was observed in 11 (2.1%) patients. The independent two-stem type in B6 was observed in four (0.75%) patients. The B7 with independent branching from the basal bronchi was observed in 42 (7.9%) patients. B* was observed in 129 (24.0%) patients and B* was accompanied by A* in all patients. An extrapericardial common trunk of the left pulmonary veins was identified in five patients (0.93%).
Conclusion:
We identified various bronchovascular patterns in the LLL of a large number of patients. Our results provide useful information for anatomic pulmonary resection, especially segmentectomy.
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