Quick Facts
Location: Along the course of the external jugular vein.
Drainage: Receives lymph from the parotid nodes and/or infraauricular nodes.
Direction of Flow: Supraclavicular nodes > jugular trunk > thoracic duct (left) or right lymphatic duct.
Description
The superficial lateral cervical nodes are also known as the external jugular nodes due to their close anatomical relationship to the external jugular vein. These nodes are found along the course of this vessel between the inferior aspect of the parotid gland and the supraclavicular lymph nodes. The nodes are intercalated along the course of the efferent vessels of the parotid nodes and/or the infraauricular nodes.
The superficial lateral cervical nodes have efferent connections either directly into the supraclavicular nodes, or the most inferior of the internal jugular nodes, from where lymph fluid will drain via the jugular trunk to the right lymphatic trunk or the thoracic trunk on the left (Földi et al., 2012).
List of Clinical Correlates
—Metastatic deposits from malignancies of the nasopharynx, oropharynx, and thyroid gland
References
Földi, M., Földi, E., Strößenreuther, R. and Kubik, S. (2012) Földi's Textbook of Lymphology: for Physicians and Lymphedema Therapists. Elsevier Health Sciences.
