Cervical lymph nodes
Nodi lymphoidei cervicales profundi
Lymphatic & immuneLymphaticsNeckLeft and right
View left in 3D View right in 3D
- What it is
- The deep cervical chain: a string of nodes running down the neck along the internal jugular vein, under the sternocleidomastoid muscle, from the angle of the jaw to the collarbone. The jugulodigastric node at the top is the largest. Each node is a bean-shaped filter 5-15 mm long with a fibrous capsule, an outer cortex of B-cell follicles, a T-cell paracortex and an inner medulla. Several afferent lymphatics enter its convex surface; one or two efferents leave at the hilum.
- Function
- Final drainage station for the whole head and neck (scalp, face, mouth, tonsils, pharynx, larynx, thyroid) before lymph enters the jugular trunk.
- Size
- About 20-30 nodes per side, each 5-15 mm; the jugulodigastric node up to 15-20 mm
- Clinical note
- They swell with tonsillitis and glandular fever. A hard, painless cervical node in an adult suggests a head-and-neck cancer; an enlarged left supraclavicular node (Virchow's node) can be the first sign of a stomach cancer.