Colored Oblique Fissures of the Lungs, Posterior View

Description

Posteriorly, the right and left lungs are shown with the oblique (major) fissures (fissura obliqua) highlighted as the interlobar planes dividing superior and inferior lobes. On each side, the fissure runs inferoanteriorly from a more superior posterior origin toward the diaphragmatic surface, so its posterior segment lies closer to the vertebral column while its distal extent approaches the costophrenic region. The inferior lobes occupy most of the posterior lung fields, while the superior lobes sit more superomedially, tapering toward the apices. Clinically, the oblique fissure is the boundary that explains why lower-lobe disease dominates the posterior auscultation and chest radiograph silhouettes, especially in supine patients where aspiration and dependent atelectasis track to the posterior segments of the inferior lobes. Surgeons and interventionalists also use fissure completeness to plan lobectomy and segmentectomy, because an incomplete fissure increases the risk of postoperative air leak and alters the route for fissure-based dissection. A clean posterior perspective makes the interlobar line easier to relate to surface anatomy and to CT reconstructions that show the fissure as a thin curvilinear density. Pulmonology and thoracic surgery teaching sessions can pair this illustration with posterior chest examination landmarks, lobar bronchopulmonary segment maps, and discussions of pleural effusion layering relative to the diaphragmatic and costal pleura. It also fits well in radiology atlases to orient trainees to fissure positions on axial and sagittal CT and to support captions on lobar localization of pneumonia, contusion, or postoperative changes. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.