108 - Absence of Lung Encountered During Medical School Dissection Course Provides an Opportunity for Improving Respiratory Anatomy Education

Poster Board Number: 108
There are separate poster presentation times for odd and even posters.
Odd poster #s – first hour
Even poster #s – second hour

Abstract Body : ​​At Oakland University William Beaumont (OUWB) School of Medicine, students take part in a comprehensive semester-long gross anatomy lab. During this time, students actively learn about the body by performing cadaveric dissections. Occasionally body donors present with a unique pathology to explore and further their clinical understanding. In this case, we observed a complete absence of the right lung, a reduced size of the right pulmonary cavity, and thickened pleura. In addition, we observed a left lung that was enlarged along with a horizontal fissure. The presence of a tracheal bifurcation, along with the right primary bronchus ending abruptly with no further branching was noted. This led to exploring conditions and procedures such as adenocarcinoma, pneumonectomy and unilateral pulmonary agenesis as explanations for their findings. These findings will be presented in an educational setting to allow other students to observe and learn from these pathologies. This opportunity helps OUWB medical students apply the course material to the lab dissections sessions.