The lingula is a small, tongue-shaped projection of the left upper lobe that hangs below the cardiac notch. It is the left lung's counterpart of the right middle lobe and has its own lingular bronchus with superior and inferior segments. Its name comes from the Latin for 'little tongue'.
| Location | Lower front part of the left upper lobe, below the cardiac notch, lying against the left side of the heart. |
|---|---|
| Parts |
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| Nerve Supply | Pulmonary plexus; Vagus nerve (parasympathetic, bronchoconstriction and mucus secretion); Sympathetic fibres from T2-T5 ganglia (bronchodilation) |
| Blood Supply | Lingular branches of the left pulmonary artery; Left bronchial arteries |
| Venous drainage |
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| Lymphatic drainage |
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Contributes to gas exchange as part of the left upper lobe and covers part of the left side of the heart.
Lingular pneumonia or collapse blurs the left heart border on a frontal chest X-ray. Some surgeons remove the lingula alone (lingulectomy) for limited disease. Like the right middle lobe, it can be affected by chronic infection with bronchiectasis.
Infection of the lingula that obscures the left heart border on X-ray. It is treated like other community pneumonia.
Permanent widening of the lingular airways after infection. It often occurs together with right middle lobe disease.
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