Last updated: 11/24/2009

Lobectomies of the lung are also called pulmonary lobectomies. The lungs are a pair of cone-shaped breathing organs within the chest. The function of the lungs is to draw oxygen into the body and release carbon dioxide, which is a waste product of...

the body's cells. The right lung has three lobes: a superior lobe, a middle lobe, and an inferior lobe. The left lung has only two, a superior and an inferior lobe. Some lobes exchange more oxygen than others. The lungs are covered by a thin membrane called the pleura. The bronchi are two tubes which lead from the trachea (windpipe) to the right and left lungs. Inside the lungs are tiny air sacs called alveoli and small tubes called bronchioles. Lung cancer sometimes involves the bronchi.

To perform a lobectomy, the surgeon makes an incision (thoracotomy) between the ribs to expose the lung while the patient is under general anesthesia. The chest cavity is examined and the diseased lung tissue is removed. A drainage tube (chest tube) is then inserted to drain air, fluid, and blood out of the chest cavity. The ribs and chest incision are then closed.

Lung surgery may be recommended for the following reasons:

• presence of tumors
• small areas of long-term infection (such as highly localized pulmonary tuberculosis or mycobacterial infection)
• lung cancer
• abscesses
• permanently enlarged (dilated) airways (bronchiectasis)
• permanently dilated section of lung (lobar emphysema)
• injuries associated with lung collapse (atelectasis, pneumothorax, or hemothorax)
• a permanently collapsed lung (atelectasis)