Tracheal bronchus (pig bronchus)
After writing an article on the tracheal bronchus, I was asked to describe the anatomy of the pig (Sus scrofa domesticus) lung and a comparison with the human lung. The function and general structure of the pig lung is similar to the human. Anatomy-wise... there are several differences.
It is important to understand that directional terminology used to describe the anatomy of the pig is different than that used for the human. We use the anatomical position for humans, but as the pig is a quadruped, there is no such position for the pig, and veterinary terminology is used.. For further information on this topic, click here.
Following are two images. The first one is an anterior view of the human lungs and their tracheobronchial tree. The second image shows a ventral view of the pig tracheobronchial tree and both lungs.
Anterior view of the human lungs and tracheobronchial tree
Ventral view of the pig lungs and tracheobronchial tree
The first difference with the human lung is that there are two cardiac notches, right and left (the left cardiac notch is larger) whereas the human has only one, on the left lung.
The structure of the tracheobronchial tree in both species is similar, with incomplete cartilaginous rings and a posterior (dorsal) membrane that closes both the trachea and bronchi. Similarly, as the bronchial tree is more distal, the cartilaginous rings break up.
The trachea in the human ranges between 10 to 12 centimeters, while in the pig the trachea is longer, between 25 to 30 centimeters. Both bifurcate at the carina into a right and left main stem bronchus. In both species there is a large number of lymphatic nodes at the tracheal bifurcation (carinal nodes) which drain the lungs.
In the pig, the bronchus for the right cranial lobe arises directly from the trachea, and is known as the "tracheal bronchus". This does not normally happen in the human, and when it does it is considered an anatomical variation called a "pig bronchus", "bronchus suis", or "tracheal bronchus", and it can cause serious problems during intubation in surgery.
In the human, there are normally three lobes on the right side (upper, middle, and lower), and two on the left side (upper and lower). Each lobe has its separate lobar bronchus.
The right lung in the pig has 4 lobes: Cranial, middle, caudal, and an accessory lobe that is ventral and is located in the midline. Each lobe has its own separate lobar bronchus.
The left lung in the pig has two lobes: Cranial and caudal. The left cardiac notch splits the cranial lobe in two segments, but since these segments arise from a common bronchus, they are considered one lobe.
Sources:
1. "Essentials of Pig Anatomy" Sack, W.O.; Horowitz, A. 1982 Veterninary Textbooks, Ithaca, New York..
2. “Bronchial tree, lobular division and blood vessels of the pig lung” Nakakuki, S. J Vet Med Sci. 1994 Aug;56(4):685-9.
3. “Bronchial anatomy and single-lung ventilation in the pig” Muton, WG. Can J Anesth 1999 46:7 p701-703
- Human tracheal bronchus endoscopic image modified from the original. Public domain.
- Anterior view of the human lungs and tracheobronchial tree image by . Patrick J. Lynch, medical illustrator, CC BY 2.5 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5>, via Wikimedia Commons.
- Ventral view of the Ventral view of the pig lungs and tracheobronchial tree image by Dr. Miranda, modified from the original. Public domain.