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You have had a thoracoscopy to remove a pulmonary lobe.

The air is breathed in through the mouth or nose. From there the air goes into the trachea via the larynx. At the end of the windpipe are two bronchial tubes (or bronchi) branching away from it. The bronchial tubes run into the lungs. What is more, the bronchial tubes divide into even smaller branches. The larynx, the trachea, the bronchia and the lungs are part of the lower airways. The lung is made up of individual pulmonary lobes. There are three pulmonary lobes on the right-hand side, and two on the left-hand side of the body.

A bronchoscopy first involves making a small incision in the skin. A tube with a camera is pushed through this incision. This camera sends pictures of the inside of the body to a screen. Instruments such as forceps and scissors can be inserted through other small incisions in the chest.

The operation also involved removing all the lymph nodes in this area. The lymph nodes are small bean-shaped objects. They are found throughout the body. Lymph nodes filter the tissue fluid. They are part of the defense system.