Lobes, fissures, and bronchopulmonary segments.

The clinical practice of thoracic surgery requires the surgeon to have intimate knowledge of pulmonary anatomy and of its variations. Attempts to perform thoracic procedures without this knowledge can only result in incomplete operations or technical mishaps. Proper understanding of the anatomy of the pulmonary lobes, segments, and fissures allows the surgeon to correlate imaging, pathologic processes, and possible resectional procedures, thus insuring that each patient gets the best possible operation.