Lobe (anatomy)

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - Cite This Source

In anatomy, a lobe is a clear anatomical division or extension that can be determined without the use of a microscope (at the gross anatomy level.) This is in contrast to a lobule, which is a clear division only visible histologically.

In practice, this division can be somewhat subjective. For example, it can be difficult to precisely distinguish between a interlobar duct and a interlobular duct.

Furthermore, the distinction is not universally accepted, and some sources simply consider a lobule to be a small lobe.

Examples of lobes

• The four lobes of the human cortex
• the frontal lobe
• the parietal lobe
• the occipital lobe
• the temporal lobe
• The three lobes of the human cerebellum
• the flocculonodular lobe
• the anterior lobe
• the posterior lobe
• the earlobe
• lobes of the lung
• Right lung: superior, middle, inferior
• Left lung: superior and inferior
• the liver
• Left lobe of liver
• Right lobe of liver
• Quadrate lobe of liver
• Caudate lobe of liver
• the kidney
• Renal lobe and cortical lobule

References

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia © 2001-2006 Wikipedia contributors (Disclaimer)
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Last updated on Saturday February 09, 2008 at 18:24:58 PST (GMT -0800)
View this article at Wikipedia.org - Edit this article at Wikipedia.org - Donate to the Wikimedia Foundation