| Human right lung | |
|---|---|
| Mediastinal surface of right lung. | |
| 1. Anterior border 2. Mediastinal part 3. Medial surface 4. Inferior lobe 5. Base of lung |
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| Latin | pulmo dexter |
| Gray's | subject #240 1096 |
The human right lung is divided into three lobes (as opposed to two lobes on the left), superior, middle, and inferior, by two interlobular fissures:
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The middle lobe, the smallest lobe of the right lung, is wedge-shaped, and includes the lower part of the anterior border and the anterior part of the base of the lung. (There is no middle lobe on the left lung, though there is a lingula.)
The superior and inferior lobes are similar to their counterparts on the left lung.
The right lung, although shorter by 5 cm. than the left, in consequence of the diaphragm rising higher on the right side to accommodate the liver, is broader, owing to the inclination of the heart to the left side. Consequently, the volume, the total capacity and the weight of the right lung is higher than that of the left.
On the mediastinal surface, immediately above the hilum, is an arched furrow which accommodates the azygos vein; while running upward, and then arching lateralward some little distance below the apex, is a wide groove for the superior vena cava and right innominate vein; behind this, and nearer the apex, is a furrow for the innominate artery.
Behind the hilum and the attachment of the pulmonary ligament is a vertical groove for the esophagus; this groove becomes less distinct below, owing to the inclination of the lower part of the esophagus to the left of the middle line.
In front and to the right of the lower part of the esophageal groove is a deep concavity for the extrapericardiac portion of the thoracic part of the inferior vena cava.
This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained within it may be outdated.
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