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Information about Thoracic Duct

Lymph:
The thoracic and right lymphatic ducts. (Thoracic duct is thin vertical white line at center.)
Modes of origin of thoracic duct. a. Thoracic duct. a’. Cisterna chyli. b, c’ Efferent trunks from lateral aortic glands. d. An efferent vessel which pierces the left crus of the diaphragm. e. f. Lateral aortic glands. h. Retroaortic glands. i. Intestinal trunk. j. Descending branch from intercostal lymphatics.
Latinductus thoracicus
subject #176 690
Sourcecisterna chyli
Drains tojunction of the left subclavian vein and left internal jugular vein
MeSH Thoracic+Duct
Dorlands/Elsevierd_29/12315137
In human anatomy, the thoracic duct is an important part of the lymphatic system—it is the largest lymphatic vessel in the body.

It collects most of the lymph in the body (except that from the right arm and the right side of the chest, neck and head, which is collected by the right lymphatic duct) and drains into the systemic (blood) circulation at the left subclavian vein.

Location and direction of flow

In adults, the thoracic duct is typically 38-45cm in length and an average diameter of about 5mm. It usually starts from the level of the second lumbar vertebra and extends to the root of the neck.

It originates in the abdomen from the confluence of the right and left lumbar trunk and the intestinal trunk, forming a significant pathway upward called the cisterna chyli.

It extends vertically in the chest and curves posteriorly to the left carotid artery and left jugular vein at the C7 vertebral level to empty into the junction of the left subclavian vein and left jugular vein, below the clavicle, near the shoulders.

It traverses the diaphragm at the aortic aperture and ascends the posterior mediastinum between the descending thoracic aorta (to its left) and the azygos vein (to its right).

Volume, mechanism, and direction of flow

In adults, the thoracic duct transports up to 4 L of lymph per day.

The lymph transport in the thoracic duct is mainly caused by the action of breathing, aided by the duct's smooth muscle and by internal valves which prevent the lymph from flowing back down again.

There are also two valves at the junction of the duct with the left subclavian vein, to prevent the flow of venous blood into the duct.

Clinical significance

When the thoracic duct is blocked or damaged a large amount of lymph can quickly accumulate in the pleural cavity, this situation is called chylothorax.

The first sign of a malignancy (especially an intraabdominal one) may be an enlarged Virchow's node, a lymph node in the left supraclavicular area, in the vicinity where the thoracic duct empties into the left subclavian vein.

Nomenclature

It is also known under various other names including the alimentary duct, chyliferous duct, duct of Pecquet, the left lymphatic duct and Van Hoorne's canal. [1]

Additional images


Transverse section of thorax, showing relations of pulmonary artery.

The arch of the aorta, and its branches.

Deep lymph nodes and vessels of the thorax and abdomen (diagrammatic).

The position and relation of the esophagus in the cervical region and in the posterior mediastinum. Seen from behind.


See also

References

External links

 •  • [ e]
Lymphatics of torso
ChestTracheobronchial - Right lymphatic duct - Thoracic duct (spans diaphragm)
AbdomenCisterna chyli - Lumbar trunk - Intestinal trunk - lumbar/paraaortic (Retroaortic, Lateral aortic, Preaortic, Inferior mesenteric) - iliac (Common, External, Internal)
Latin}}} 
Official status
Official language of: Vatican City
Used for official purposes, but not spoken in everyday speech
Regulated by: Opus Fundatum Latinitas
Roman Catholic Church
Language codes
ISO 639-1: la
ISO 639-2: lat
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The cisterna chyli (or receptaculum chyli) is a dilated sac at the lower end of the thoracic duct into which the intestinal trunk and two lumbar lymphatic trunks flow.
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In human anatomy, the subclavian veins are two large veins, one on either side of the body. Its diameter is approximately that of a man's small finger. It is divided into right and left subclavian vein.
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The internal jugular vein collects the blood from the brain, from the superficial parts of the face, and from the neck.

Path

It is directly continuous with the sigmoid sinus, and begins in the posterior compartment of the jugular foramen, at the base of the skull.
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Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) is a huge controlled vocabulary (or metadata system) for the purpose of indexing journal articles and books in the life sciences. Created and updated by the United States National Library of Medicine (NLM), it is used by the MEDLINE/PubMed
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Elsevier, the world's largest publisher of medical and scientific literature, forms part of the Reed Elsevier group. Based in Amsterdam, the company has substantial operations in the UK, USA and elsewhere.
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Anatomy (from the Greek ἀνατομία anatomia, from ἀνατέμνειν
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The lymphatic system is a complex network of lymphoid organs, lymph nodes, lymph ducts, lymphatic tissues, lymph capillaries and lymph vessels that produce and transport lymph fluid from tissues to the circulatory system.
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The lymphatic system is a complex network of lymphoid organs, lymph nodes, lymph ducts, lymphatic tissues, lymph capillaries and lymph vessels that produce and transport lymph fluid from tissues to the circulatory system.
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The right lymphatic duct, about 1.25 cm. in length, courses along the medial border of the Scalenus anterior at the root of the neck. In most cases it ends in the right subclavian vein, at its angle of junction with the right internal jugular vein, although the termination can be
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Circulatory System is a psychedelic rock musical ensemble formed by musician/painter Will Cullen Hart, and featuring Hannah Jones, Derek Almstead, Peter Erchick, John Fernandes, and Heather McIntosh.
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In human anatomy, the subclavian veins are two large veins, one on either side of the body. Its diameter is approximately that of a man's small finger. It is divided into right and left subclavian vein.
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The lumbar vertebrae are the largest segments of the movable part of the vertebral column, and are characterized by the absence of the foramen transversarium within the transverse process, and by the absence of facets on the sides of the body.
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The neck is the part of the body on many limbed vertebrates that distinguishes the head from the torso or trunk.

Anatomy of the human neck

Bony anatomy: The cervical spine

The cervical portion of the human spine
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To comply with Wikipedia's this section of the article needs a complete rewrite.
Please discuss this issue on the talk page and read the layout guide to make sure the section will be inclusive of all essential details. This article has been tagged since September 2007.
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The lumbar trunks are formed by the union of the efferent vessels from the lateral aortic lymph glands.

They receive the lymph from the lower limbs, from the walls and viscera of the pelvis, from the kidneys and suprarenal glands and the deep lymphatics of the greater part
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The intestinal trunk receives the lymph from the stomach and intestine, from the pancreas and spleen, and from the lower and front part of the liver.

External links

  • Description at uams.

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The cisterna chyli (or receptaculum chyli) is a dilated sac at the lower end of the thoracic duct into which the intestinal trunk and two lumbar lymphatic trunks flow.
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In human anatomy, the common carotid artery is an artery that supplies the head and neck with oxygenated blood; it divides in the neck to form the external and internal carotid arteries.
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The jugular veins are veins that bring deoxygenated blood from the head back to the heart via the superior vena cava.

Internal and external

There are two sets of jugular veins: external and internal.
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In human anatomy, the subclavian veins are two large veins, one on either side of the body. Its diameter is approximately that of a man's small finger. It is divided into right and left subclavian vein.
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The jugular veins are veins that bring deoxygenated blood from the head back to the heart via the superior vena cava.

Internal and external

There are two sets of jugular veins: external and internal.
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Collarbone and collar bone redirect here. The eye abnormality is correctly spelled coloboma.
This article uses some professional terms to describe relative positions and directions.

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In human anatomy, the shoulder comprises the part of the body where the arm attaches to the torso. It is made up of three bones: the clavicle (collarbone), the scapula (shoulder blade), and the humerus (upper arm bone) as well as associated muscles, ligaments and tendons.
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diaphragm is a sheet of muscle extending across the bottom of the ribcage. The diaphragm separates the thoracic cavity from the abdominal cavity and performs an important function in respiration.
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The aortic hiatus is a hole in the human diaphragm through which the aorta and thoracic duct passes from the thorax into the abdomen. It is the lowest and most posterior of the large apertures.

It is located approximately at the level of the twelfth thoracic vertebra (T12).
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The posterior mediastinum is an irregular triangular space running parallel with the vertebral column.

Boundaries

It is bounded:
  • anteriorally by the pericardium (in front of)
  • inferiorally by the thoracic surface of the diaphragm (below).

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The thoracic aorta is contained in the posterior mediastinal cavity.

It begins at the lower border of the fourth thoracic vertebra where it is continuous with the aortic arch, and ends in front of the lower border of the twelfth thoracic vertebra, at the aortic hiatus in
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The azygos vein is a vein running up the right side of the thoracic vertebral column.

Structure

The azygos vein transports deoxygenated blood from the posterior walls of the thorax and abdomen into the superior vena cava vein.
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Breathing transports oxygen into the body and carbon dioxide out of the body. Aerobic organisms require oxygen to create energy via respiration, in the form of energy-rich molecules such as glucose. The medical term for normal relaxed breathing is eupnoea.
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