Multiple variations in pulmonary veins during a thoracoscopic right lower lobectomy: A case report

Abstract

A knowledge of pulmonary vein anatomy variants allows an appropriate preoperative radiological assessment and safe surgical management of vascular anomalies in patients undergoing major lung resections. In our case, multiple pulmonary vein variations were identified pre‐ and intraoperatively in a patient undergoing thoracoscopic right lower lobectomy and included superior and common basal veins from the right lower lobe draining separately into the left atrium, middle lobe veins joining the superior segment right lower lobe vein and additional superior segment right lower lobe vein draining directly into the left atrium. The recognition of these anatomical abnormalities in pulmonary veins may help thoracic surgeons avoid surgical complications in patients undergoing anatomical lung resections.

Application of three‐dimensional reconstruction of left upper lung lobes in anatomical segmental resection

“…Many early cadaveric studies 7,8 and recent clinical case reports [9][10][11][12] have examined the anatomical variations of lung segments, confirming the highly complex and variable characteristics of lung segments. This complexity greatly increases the risk of intraoperative vascular injury during lung segment resection.…”