Quick Facts
Location: Superior to the tracheal bifurcation.
Drainage: Receive right and left efferent bronchopulmonary lymph vessels.
Direction of Flow: Paratracheal thoracic nodes > bronchomediastinal trunk > right lymphatic trunk or thoracic duct.
Paratracheal cervical nodes > deep lateral cervical nodes > jugular trunk > right lymphatic trunk or thoracic duct.
Description
The paratracheal thoracic nodes are located to the right and left of the trachea. These nodes receive the efferent vessels from the tracheobronchial lymph nodes. The efferent vessels of the paratracheal lymph nodes unite with the parasternal and anterior mediastinal lymph vessels to form right and left bronchomediastinal trunks, which drain into the right lymphatic duct or thoracic duct, respectively. The paratracheal thoracic nodes receive lymph from the esophagus and trachea.
The paratracheal cervical nodes belong to the deep anterior cervical lymph nodes. They are located on either side of the trachea. These nodes receive afferents from local structures, including the larynx, esophagus, thyroid gland, and trachea. The efferent vessels of the cervical paratracheal lymph nodes pass to the internal jugular nodes of the deep lateral cervical lymph nodes.
List of Clinical Correlates
—Lung cancer
Learn more about this topic from other Elsevier products
Paratracheal Lymph Nodes
PTLND was defined as retrieval of paratracheal lymph nodes medial to the common carotid artery, lateral to the trachea, below the cricoid, above the plane of the right innominate artery, deep to the infrahyoid muscles and superficial to the prevertebral fascia.
