How many lobes do you see?
Accessory fissures represent a variation of the normal lung anatomy. Incomplete development or even the absence of the major or minor fissures can lead to confusion in distinguishing adjacent lobes. This report aims to present a rare intraoperative finding of an anatomic malformation of the right lung in a 19-year old male patient with recurrent pneumothorax who underwent a surgical repair. An accessory fissure which was separating the superior segment of the lower lobe from the basal segments gave to the whole lung the unique image of a four-lobed one. A profound knowledge of the accessory fissures, even if they are incidentally discovered, is of pivotal importance for the thoracic surgeon and leads to optimal operative assessment and strategic planning.
Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Hospital of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece.
Dimos
D
Karangelis
Georgios I
GI
Tagarakis
Serapheim
S
Chlapoutakis
Dimitrios
D
Papadopoulos
Apostolos
A
Roubelakis
Athanasios
A
Hevas
Marios E
ME
Daskalopoulos
Angeliki
A
Tsantsaridou
Stefania
S
Lampoura
Nikolaos B
NB
Tsilimingas
D006801:Humans; D033162:Incidental Findings; D008168:Lung / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D011030:Pneumothorax / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D012008:Recurrence; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D055815:Young Adult