Deep Lateral Cervical Lymph Vessels (Left)

Description

In order to get from the tissues of the head back to the venous circulation, lymphatic fluid must travel through the neck to join a network of larger lymphatic vessels that drain into the brachiocephalic trunks. The deep lateral cervical vessels of the neck are the primary route of drainage of lymphatic fluid from the head. The vast majority of this fluid travels via one of the three groups of deep lateral cervical lymph vessels, by far the most prevalent course being via the internal jugular vessels.

There are three divisions of vessels that make up the group of deep lateral cervical vessels: the accessory vessels, which follow the course of the accessory nerve through the neck; the internal jugular vessels located in close proximity to the internal jugular vein; and the supraclavicular vessels, the most inferior of the deep lateral cervical vessels, which are found embedded in the fascia superior and somewhat posterior to the clavicle. There are a number of cross-connections between these three groups of nodes, some with smaller intercalated nodes along the connecting vessels (Földi et al., 2012).