Quick Facts
Location: On the anterior and anterolateral surfaces of the trachea, between the thyroid gland superiorly and brachiocephalic vein inferiorly.
Drainage: The thyroid gland and trachea.
Direction of Flow: Paratracheal cervical nodes (recurrent chain) > internal jugular nodes > supraclavicular nodes > jugular trunk > thoracic duct (left) or right lymphatic duct.
Related parts of the anatomy
Description
There are usually four to six pretracheal nodes; however there can be up to twelve individual nodes present in the pretracheal group. As the name suggests, these nodes are generally found anterior to the trachea. They are often hidden by the thymus gland.
These nodes primarily drain the soft tissues of the trachea, and in addition, receive afferents from the thyroid gland and larynx. Their efferent vessels carry lymph to the recurrent chain, located lateral to the trachea, and from there to the internal jugular nodes (Földi et al., 2012).
List of Clinical Correlates
—Metastatic deposits from malignancies of the thyroid, glottic, and subglottic larynx, the apex of the piriform sinus, and the cervical esophagus
References
Földi, M., Földi, E., Strößenreuther, R. and Kubik, S. (2012) Földi's Textbook of Lymphology: for Physicians and Lymphedema Therapists. Elsevier Health Sciences.
