segmental pulmonary vein

A segmental pulmonary vein is a pulmonary vein that drains oxygenated blood from a specific bronchopulmonary segment of the lung. It serves as a tributary of the main pulmonary veins and carries blood back toward the left atrium.

Each bronchopulmonary segment of the lung is supplied by a segmental bronchus and artery and drained by a segmental vein. However, unlike the bronchi and arteries that travel together centrally, the segmental veins often run in the intersegmental planes, at the boundaries between segments, making them useful landmarks for surgical segmentectomy.

Segmental pulmonary veins drain into lobar pulmonary veins, which then join to form the main pulmonary veins. Typically two main pulmonary veins on each side (superior and inferior) return blood from the lungs to the left atrium, where oxygenated blood enters the systemic circulation.

During anatomic segmentectomy (removal of a single lung segment), surgeons use the intersegmental pulmonary veins as boundaries between segments. Identifying and preserving the intersegmental vein helps delineate the correct plane of resection, minimizing damage to adjacent segments while completely removing the target segment.

Yes, pulmonary venous anatomy is highly variable among individuals. The number, size, and drainage pattern of segmental veins can differ significantly, and anomalous pulmonary venous connections can occur. This variability is clinically important in thoracic surgery and in procedures such as pulmonary vein isolation for atrial fibrillation ablation.