Description
The lateral cervical nodes are located in the lateral aspect of the neck and are a collection of lymph nodes responsible for filtering lymphatic fluid from local deep and superficial tissues. They also provide secondary drainage for much of the lymphatic fluid of the head as it travels through the neck to return to the venous circulation.
The lateral cervical lymph nodes are divided into superficial and deep categories. There are few dispersed superficial nodes and a much larger collection of deep nodes. These deep nodes are associated with three major structures in the neck, the accessory nerve, the internal jugular vein, and the clavicle, and are thus named the accessory chain of nodes, the internal jugular chain of nodes, and supraclavicular nodes.
