title: Anatomy of inferior pulmonary vein should be clarified in lower lobectomy.
abstract: We successfully performed surgery for carcinoma of the lung on 2 patients with the anatomic variation of the middle lobe vein draining to the right inferior pulmonary vein. This variation is surgically important because division of the right inferior pulmonary vein may result in blockage of middle lobe vein drainage in right lower lobectomy. Surgeons must always pay attention to this variation when performing the right lower lobectomy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Hakodate Municipal Hospital, Japan.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sugimoto
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Izumiyama
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yamashita
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Baba
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hasegawa
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D000328:Adult; D018288:Carcinoma, Small Cell / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011013:Pneumonectomy; D011667:Pulmonary Veins / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed