Inferior lingular vein of left lung
Vena lingularis inferior pulmonis sinistri
- Latin synonym: Pars inferior venae lingularis
- Related terms: Inferior part of lingular vein
Definition
The inferior lingular vein (V5; Inferior part of lingular vein) is a pulmonary vein that drains the inferior lingular segment (S5) of the left upper lobe of the lung.
The lingular division typically has two segmental veins: the superior lingular vein (V4) draining the superior lingular segment, and the inferior lingular vein (V5) draining the inferior lingular segment. These veins normally converge to form a common lingular vein trunk that drains into the left superior pulmonary vein along with other upper lobe tributaries. However, anatomical variations are relatively common—in approximately 4% of cases, the lingular veins may drain anomalously into the left inferior pulmonary vein instead of the superior pulmonary vein.
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