Quick Facts
Location: In the fascial compartment of the submandibular gland.
Drainage: Submandibular and sublingual glands, bottom of the oral cavity, tongue, palate, gingiva, teeth, and skin covering the eyelids, lips, nose, and chin.
Direction of Flow: Jugulodigastric nodes > internal jugular nodes > supraclavicular nodes > jugular trunk > thoracic duct (left) or right lymphatic duct.
Related parts of the anatomy
Description
The submandibular lymph nodes typically consist of between six and eight nodes located within the fascial compartment surrounding the submandibular gland. These nodes are grouped by location with one or two nodes making up a submandibular nodal group.
Collectively, the submandibular nodes drain a large area of the face, including most of the oral cavity. They are assisted in this role by the lingual and submental nodes.
Before draining into the internal jugular nodes, efferent vessels of superficial submandibular nodes accompany the facial vein, while efferent vessels of deeper submandibular nodes accompany the arteries; however both lead to the jugulodigastric nodes. From the internal jugular nodes, lymph drains into the supraclavicular nodes, the jugular trunk, and finally into the thoracic duct on the left or the right lymphatic duct (Földi et al., 2012; Koroulakis and Agarwal, 2018).
References
Földi, M., Földi, E., Strößenreuther, R. and Kubik, S. (2012) Földi's Textbook of Lymphology: for Physicians and Lymphedema Therapists. Elsevier Health Sciences.
Koroulakis, A. and Agarwal, M. (2018) Anatomy, Head and Neck, Lymph Nodes.: Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing (Accessed: 12 July 2019).
Learn more about this topic from other Elsevier products
Submandibular Lymph Node
The submandibular lymph nodes lie in close proximity to the submandibular gland and drain lymph from the medial portion of the upper and lower eyelids, the medial canthus and the conjunctiva.
