How many lung lobes does a person have

The lobes are located in the lungs and have a very important impact on people's lung function. Of course, the human body has more than one lung lobe. Generally speaking, the left lung has two lobes, and the right lung has three lobes, so the human body has a total of five lobes. When certain lung diseases occur, a lobectomy may be necessary. Next, I will introduce you to some relevant knowledge about lung lobes!

1. How many lung lobes does a person have?

The blunt and rounded end of the lung is called the apex, which protrudes upward through the upper opening of the thorax into the base of the neck. The bottom is located above the diaphragm. The surface facing the ribs and intercostal spaces is called the costal surface, and the surface facing the mediastinum is called the medial surface. The entrance and exit of the bronchi, blood vessels, lymphatic vessels and nerves in the center of this surface is called the hilum. These structures entering and exiting the hilum are wrapped together by connective tissue and are called the lung root. The left lung is divided into two lobes, the upper and lower lobes, by the oblique fissure. In addition to the oblique fissure, the right lung is also divided into three lobes, the upper, middle, and lower lobes, by a horizontal fissure.

2. Lobectomy

Impact: Generally speaking, the removal of a lung lobe has no effect on the body.

Treatment: If the lesion is confined to a single lobe and the rest of the lungs are normal, lobectomy should be performed as much as possible and segmentectomy should be used less frequently, because medical statistics show that the incidence of air leakage and chest infection after segmentectomy is higher than that after lobectomy. Conversely, if the lesion to be removed affects more than one lobe of the ipsilateral lung, and some lesions are only confined to one or some segments, in order to preserve healthy lung tissue as much as possible and maintain lung function, multiple segments or segment plus lobectomy can be performed, such as the commonly used right upper lobe apex posterior segment plus lower lobe dorsal segment resection.

Indications for lobectomy

Lobectomy is suitable for lesions confined to a lobe but extending beyond one lung segment.

1. Tuberculous cavities that have not undergone significant absorption or enlargement after 12 to 18 months of standard chemotherapy. Those with sputum positive bacteria, especially drug-resistant tuberculosis cases. Combined with hemoptysis, recurrent attacks, and secondary infection. Cancerous cavities cannot be ruled out.

2. Tuberculomas with a diameter greater than 3 cm that remain unchanged or increase in size despite regular chemotherapy cannot be ruled out as tumors.

3. After 12 months of regular chemotherapy, the patient with large caseous lesions still had positive sputum bacteria and hemoptysis.

4. Tuberculous stenosis of the lobar bronchus causes atelectasis and pulmonary consolidation.

5. Bilateral lesions, but the main lesions are concentrated in one lobe, can be resected in stages.

6. Localized pulmonary lesions caused by atypical acid-fast bacilli should be treated with surgery because there is no effective drug and they are easy to develop and reactivate.

7. Early non-small cell lung cancer (T1N0M0).

8. Benign lung diseases include lung cysts, pulmonary pseudotumor, etc.