FISSURES AND LOBES OF LUNGS: A MORPHOLOGICAL AND ANATOMICAL STUDY

Background and Aims: The fissures of the lungs serve as boundaries for the lobes of the lungs. They also acts as barriers to avoid the spread of pathologies .The proposed aim of the study was to study the fissures and lobes of the lungs and their variations and to compare them with previous studies and to find their clinical implications. Methods: Thirty pairs of lungs were used for the study, obtained from formalin-fixed cadavers of south-indian origin. The lung specimens were observed for the patterns of lobes and fissures, variations were noted and specimens were photographed. Results: Five right lungs showed absence of horizontal fissure. Out of thirty, twelve right sided lungs showed incomplete fissures.On the left side, seven specimens showed incomplete oblique fissure. In addition, two right-sided specimens and four left sided specimens showed presence accessory fissure. Conclusion: The results and their comparison with the previous works show that there is a wide range of difference in occurrence of major, minor and accessory fissures between and among different populations. Knowledge of such variations is mandatory for surgeons in pre-operative planning for performing pulmonary lobectomies and for radiologists for interpreting X-rays and CT scans