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Review
. 2016 Mar;8(Suppl 2):S121-9.
doi: 10.3978/j.issn.2072-1439.2016.01.69.

Surgical anatomy of the tracheobronchial tree

Gabrielle Drevet  1 , Massimo Conti  1 , Jean Deslauriers  1
Affiliations
Review

Surgical anatomy of the tracheobronchial tree

Gabrielle Drevet et al. J Thorac Dis. 2016 Mar.

Abstract

Airway surgery is often indicated in the management of benign or malignant pathological processes of the tracheobronchial tree. The surgeon undertaking this type of work has, however, the responsibility of understanding the particular anatomy applicable to these structures and procedures as well as be able to correlate imaging, intraoperative findings and anatomy. These are important considerations if one wants to reduce operative morbidity and improve potential for better long-term results. This paper reviews the most important anatomic features of the tracheobronchial tree putting emphasis on those features that are important to surgeons performing surgical procedures on those organs.

Keywords: Anatomy; surgery of the tracheobronchial tree; tracheobronchial tree.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Anterior view of the laryngeal cartilages and membranes (courtesy from Dr. Jean Deslauriers and reproduced from Deslauriers J: Anatomy of the neck and cervicothoracic junction. Thorac Surg Clin 2007;17:530).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Topography of the extrinsic musculature of the larynx (courtesy from Dr. Jean Deslauriers and reproduced from Deslauriers J: Anatomy of the neck and cervicothoracic junction. Thorac Surg Clin 2007;17:536).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Lateral view showing the pertinent anatomy of the glottis and subglottic regions and of the upper trachea.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Arterial supply and innervation of the larynx (reproduced from Thorac Surg Clin 2007;17:553 [Deslauriers J, Editor)].
Figure 5
Figure 5
Anatomy of the superior and inferior recurrent laryngeal nerves (courtesy from Dr Jean Deslauriers and reproduced from Deslauriers J: Anatomy of the neck and cervicothoracic junction. Thorac Surg Clin 2007;17:544).
Figure 6
Figure 6
The trachea extends from the cricoid cartilage at the level of C6-C7 to the carina at the level of T4-T5.
Figure 7
Figure 7
The trachea and main bronchi have an anterior horse-shoe shaped cartilaginous portion and a posterior membranous part.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Anatomical relationships of the trachea with surrounding structures [reproduced from Thorac Surg Clin 2007;17:579 (Deslauriers J, Editor)].
Figure 9
Figure 9
Tracheal blood supply [reproduced from Thorac Surg Clin 2007;17:575 (Deslauriers J, Editor)].
Figure 10
Figure 10
Microscopic blood supply of the trachea [reproduced from Thor Surg Clin 2007;17:578 (Deslauriers J, Editor)].
Figure 11
Figure 11
Anatomy of the carina [reproduced from Thor Surg Clin 2007;17:584 (Deslauriers J, Editor)].
Figure 12
Figure 12
The most common bronchial artery anatomy is one right artery arising from an intercostal artery and two left arteries with separate origins. The inset (bottom) demonstrates the next three most common bronchial artery arrangements.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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