Internal Structure of the Lungs, Posterior View

Description

Posterior thoracic anatomy is opened to reveal the male trachea descending in the midline and bifurcating at the carina into the right and left main bronchi, which course inferolaterally into the pulmonary hila. Segmental branching of the bronchial tree spreads centrifugally toward the posterior aspects of the lobes, with the right lung’s superior, middle, and inferior lobes separated by the oblique and horizontal fissures and the left lung’s superior and inferior lobes divided by the oblique fissure. Pulmonary vessels accompany the airways from the hilum, with arterial and venous channels arborizing toward the peripheral alveolar parenchyma. The heart sits centrally, posterior to the sternum and medial to both lungs, with great vessels connecting into the pulmonary circulation. Posterior views like this earn their keep when you need to teach or plan around the hilar relationships, where bronchi, pulmonary arteries, and pulmonary veins cross in consistent but side-specific patterns. That matters in lung resection and bronchoscopy, and it also frames why emboli lodge in segmental pulmonary arteries and why atelectasis follows obstruction of a lobar or segmental bronchus. Orientation is everything. Use this artwork for gross anatomy and cardiopulmonary blocks when introducing lobar and segmental anatomy, bronchopulmonary segments, and the parallel course of pulmonary arteries with bronchi, or for surgical education materials on posterolateral thoracotomy, VATS port planning, and hilar dissection. It also fits respiratory physiology content on ventilation-perfusion relationships by pairing airway compartments with the pulmonary vascular tree. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.