A
bronchopulmonary segment is a portion of
lung supplied by a specific tertiary
bronchus (also called a segmental bronchus) and arteries. These arteries branch from the
pulmonary and
bronchial arteries, and run together through the center of the segment. Veins and lymphatic vessels drain along the edges of the segment. The segments are separated from each other by layers of
connective tissue. Each bronchopulmonary segment is a discrete anatomical and functional unit, and this separation means that a bronchopulmonary segment can be surgically removed without affecting the function of the others.