Colored Medial Basal Segments of the Left Lung, Medial View

Description

Oriented to the medial (mediastinal) surface of the left lung, this plate isolates the medial basal segments of the inferior lobe (segmenta basalia mediala) and separates them by color from adjacent bronchopulmonary territory. The concave impression for the heart sits anterosuperiorly, while the inferior pulmonary ligament attachment runs inferiorly toward the diaphragmatic surface. Along the posterior part of the hilum, the left main bronchus and pulmonary artery occupy the central region, with the pulmonary veins positioned more anteroinferiorly as they pass toward the left atrium. Borders and fissural planes define segmental limits. Clear. Segmental anatomy on the left is taught less uniformly than on the right because the medial basal segment may be small, merged with the anterior basal segment, or variably represented, so a dedicated medial view helps clarify what you are actually describing in reports and operative notes. Radiologists and thoracic surgeons rely on bronchopulmonary segment boundaries when planning a segmentectomy for a peripheral non small cell lung cancer or targeting a focus of bronchiectasis, and the medial basal region can be difficult to conceptualize on axial CT because it lies adjacent to the mediastinum and diaphragm. This perspective also reinforces the relationship of segmental bronchi to the hilum, a key step when tracing the bronchovascular bundle during VATS or robotic approaches. Use this image in thoracic anatomy teaching for medical and respiratory therapy curricula, in surgical atlases illustrating left lower lobe segmentectomy planning, or in radiology learning modules that correlate mediastinal surface landmarks with segmental localization on CT. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.