Superior Lingular Artery of the Left Lung, Anterior View

Description

Arising from the left pulmonary artery, the superior lingular artery courses anteroinferiorly toward the lingula of the left upper lobe, typically as a segmental branch supplying the superior lingular segment (S4). From an anterior perspective it sits lateral to the pulmonary trunk and anterior to the left main bronchus, then divides into smaller arterial branches that run with segmental bronchi and veins within the bronchovascular bundle. Proximally, the vessel lies superior to the left atrial appendage and medial to the lung parenchyma of the upper lobe as it approaches the anterior costal surface. Clear orientation landmarks. This artery matters in segment-based lung surgery because the lingula behaves like a functional middle lobe, and its arterial pattern can vary, branching as a common lingular trunk or separately from the interlobar portion of the left pulmonary artery. During lingular-sparing upper lobectomy or isolated lingulectomy, misidentifying the superior lingular artery can compromise perfusion to the remaining lingular segment or lead to troublesome bleeding at the hilum. The same anatomy also frames endovascular considerations, since pulmonary arterial branches supply the vascular bed involved in pulmonary embolism and contribute to perfusion defects on CT pulmonary angiography or V/Q imaging. Use this illustration in thoracic anatomy teaching (bronchopulmonary segments and the left hilum), in operative atlases describing left upper lobe segmentectomy, and in radiology or pulmonary conferences correlating segmental perfusion with vascular branching patterns. It also fits cardiothoracic publishing that needs an anterior, heart-adjacent context for the pulmonary circulation and proximal great vessels. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.