Oesophageal bronchus
Oesophageal bronchus refers to the rare occurrence where a bronchus arises directly from the oesophagus.
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Epidemiology
It is more common in females with a M:F of 1:2 2.
Gross anatomy
Oesophageal bronchi may be the main bronchus, which gives rise to oesophageal lung, or may be a lobar bronchus, most commonly a lower lobe bronchus.
Associations
Blood supply
Arterial supply and venous drainage are variable:
- arterial supply: may arise directly from the thoracic aorta
- venous drainage: may be to systemic or pulmonary circulations
Radiographic appearance
Plain radiograph
- unilateral alveolar opacity and air bronchogram as a result of aspiration 4
- mediastinal shift to the affected side 2
Fluoroscopy
- barium fills the bronchus and first-order branches 2
Related articles
Anatomy: Thoracic
- thoracic skeleton
- thoracic cage
- thoracic spine
- articulations
- muscles of the thorax
- diaphragm
- intercostal space
- intercostal muscles
- variant anatomy
- spaces of the thorax
- thoracic viscera
- tracheobronchial tree
-
lungs
-
bronchopulmonary segmental anatomy (Boyden Classification) (mnemonic)
- left lung
- right lung
- variant anatomy
- lung parenchyma
- hilum
- pleura
-
bronchopulmonary segmental anatomy (Boyden Classification) (mnemonic)
-
heart
- cardiac chambers
- heart valves
- pectinate muscles
- cardiac fibrous skeleton
- coronary arteries
- innervation of the heart
- fetal circulation
-
pericardium
- pericardial space
- oblique pericardial sinus
- transverse pericardial sinus
-
pericardial recesses
- aortic recesses
- pulmonic recesses
- postcaval recess
- pulmonary venous recesses
- pericardial ligaments
- epicardial fat pad
- oesophagus
- thymus
- breast
- blood supply of the thorax
- arteries
-
thoracic aorta (development)
- ascending aorta
- aortic arch
- aortic isthmus
- descending aorta
- pulmonary trunk
-
thoracic aorta (development)
- veins
- superior vena cava (cavoatrial junction | variant anatomy)
- inferior vena cava
-
coronary veins
- cardiac veins which drain into the coronary sinus:
- great cardiac vein
- middle cardiac vein
- small cardiac vein
- posterior vein of the left ventricle
- vein of Marshall (oblique vein of the left atrium)
- anterior cardiac veins
- venae cordis minimae (smallest cardiac veins or thebesian veins)
- cardiac veins which drain into the coronary sinus:
- pulmonary veins
- arteries
- lymphatics
- innervation of the thorax