Superior Vein of the Right Lung

Description

Posteriorly, the right lung is shown with its superior pulmonary vein (vena pulmonalis superior dextra) coursing from the upper lobe (lobus superior pulmonis dextri) toward the left atrium, lying anterior and inferior to the right pulmonary artery at the hilum and positioned inferior to the eparterial bronchus. Segmental venous tributaries from the apical, posterior, and anterior bronchopulmonary segments converge into intersegmental veins that track the connective tissue planes between segments. Medially, the vein enters the pericardial region at the base of the heart, where the pulmonary veins return oxygenated blood to the posterior wall of the left atrium. For thoracic surgery and imaging, separating the right superior pulmonary vein from the adjacent right pulmonary artery and upper-lobe bronchus is a constant step, and this posterior perspective makes the hilum’s layered arrangement easier to teach than an anterior cardiopulmonary schematic. Misidentification has consequences: stapling or ligating the wrong structure during a right upper lobectomy can compromise venous drainage or injure the artery, and anatomic variants such as a common right pulmonary venous trunk or early branching change the dissection plan. Small but common. Partial anomalous pulmonary venous return into the superior vena cava is also evaluated against this normal pathway. Use this illustration for gross anatomy labs covering the lung root and mediastinum, for cardiothoracic teaching files on pulmonary venous anatomy, and for operative atlases illustrating right-sided hilar dissection in VATS or open thoracotomy. It also fits radiology or echo education when correlating posterior left atrial inflow with CT angiography of the pulmonary veins. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.