Four lobes of the right lung - Asian Cardiovascular and Thoracic

Four lobes of the right lung - Asian Cardiovascular and Thoracic

Images in Cardiothoracic Medicine and Surgery
Four lobes of the right lung
Walid L Dajer-Fadel, Rubén Argüero-Sánchez and
Carlos Ibarra-Pérez
Asian Cardiovascular & Thoracic Annals
2014, Vol. 22(4) 499
ß The Author(s) 2013
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DOI: 10.1177/0218492312474659
aan.sagepub.com
A 52-year-old man with type 2 diabetes mellitus was
admitted to the emergency room with a 5-day history
of pharyngeal infection, cervical enlargement, leukocytosis, and fever. Computed tomography demonstrated
heterogeneity of the mediastinal fat with bilateral
pleural effusions; descending necrotizing mediastinitis
was suspected. Two hours later, a right posterolateral
thoracotomy was performed to drain the mediastinal
compartments and pleural cavities. During the procedure, 4 lobes of the right lung were seen, with an accessory lobe due to a complete fissure between the superior
segment of the lower lobe and the basal segments
(Figure 1), with apparently adequate physiologic function. The operation proceeded uneventfully, and the
patient was discharged after 16 days. One year later,
he was in good condition.
Funding
This research received no specific grant from any funding
agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
Conflict of interest statement
None declared.
Figure 1. Right thoracotomy demonstrating 4 right lung lobes
with apparently preserved physiologic function. AL: accessory
lobe, ML: middle lobe; RLL: right lower lobe; RUL: right upper
lobe.
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, General Hospital of Mexico,
Mexico City, Mexico
Corresponding author:
Walid L Dajer-Fadel, MD, Avenida Cuauhtémoc No. 403, Edificio 12,
Apartamento 102, Colonia Roma Sur, Delegación Cuauhtémoc, C.P.
06760, Distrito Federal, Mexico City, Mexico.
Email: [email protected]