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3Ĭauses of unilateral hilar enlargement include: Bilateral hilar enlargement secondary to sarcoidosis. Hilar abnormalities can be unilateral or bilateral and are most often noted on chest x-rays and CT scans.Ĭauses of bilateral hilar enlargement (Figure 5) include:įigure 5. Opposite the 5-7 th thoracic vertebral bodies. Holds the lower part of the lungs in position. Transports oxygenated blood to the left atrium.īifurcation of the trachea – allows air to transit down the respiratory tree Transports deoxygenated blood from the right ventricle to the functional airways. The contents of the hila and their function Anatomical structure The vagus nerve and posterior pulmonary plexus lie behind. The phrenic nerve, pericardiacophrenic artery and vein, and the anterior pulmonary plexus lie in front of each lung root. The root of the left lung passes beneath the aortic arch and in front of the descending aorta. The root of the right lung lies behind the superior vena cava and part of the right atrium (beneath the azygos vein). The lung root also extends inferiorly as a narrow fold known as the pulmonary ligament.
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the bronchial arteries (one on one side and two on the other)Īll of these structures are enclosed by a reflection of the pleura.the eparterial and hyparterial bronchus on the other side.Structures that form the root of the lung enter and exit at the hilum, allowing the root to be connected to the heart and trachea. The root of the lung is located at the hilum of each lung, just above the middle of the mediastinal surface and behind the cardiac impression.
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