Anatomical Variations in Fissure of the Lung on Computed Tomography

Abstract

Objective: Lung fissures embryologically separate the bronchopulmonary segments from each other. We aimed to detect anatomical variations in fissures in patients who underwent thoracic computed tomography (CT). Materials and Methods: All the patients underwent a thoracic CT examination between July 1 - July 15, 2022. The patients’ gender, lung fissures continuity, accessory fissures presence, and variation side were recorded. The frequency of fissures was compared between the genders using the chi-square test. Results: The study included a total of 352 patients (211 men, 141 women). A total of 105 variations were detected in 95/352 (26.99%) of the patients, 61/211 (28.91%) were male, 34/141 (24.11%) were female. The right oblique fissure was incomplete in nine (2.6%), and the right horizontal fissure was incomplete in 14 (4%) patients and absent in 14 (4%). The left oblique fissure was observed to be incomplete in 16 (4.5%) patients. A total of 52 (14.8%) accessory fissures were detected. Conclusion: In the literature, a wide variety of fissure variations have been reported. Due to this diversity, having good knowledge of the fissure anatomical architecture is essential when performing surgical procedures and interpreting radiological images to clinically identify the location of bronchopulmonary segments.