Quick Facts
Location: In subfascial fat in the submental triangle.
Drainage: Chin, lower lip, cheek, gingiva around the incisors, tip of the tongue, back of the oral cavity.
Direction of Flow:
Either:
ipsi- and contra-lateral submandibular nodes > internal jugular nodes > supraclavicular nodes > jugular trunk > thoracic duct (left) or right lymphatic duct.
Or:
ipsi- and contralateral juguloomohyoid nodes > jugular trunk > thoracic duct (left) or right lymphatic duct.
Related parts of the anatomy
Description
The submental nodes and vessels found in or superficial to the subfascial fat. They reside in the submental triangle, a division of the anterior triangle of the neck, made up of the hyoid bone inferiorly, the anterior belly of digastric laterally, and the midline division medially.
There are usually three of these nodes, arranged along a parasagittal plane. They are commonly referred to as anterior, middle, and posterior submental nodes and interconnected by a series of vessels.
Due to their close proximity to the midline, some of these nodes are likely to connect with their contralateral counterparts and therefore can drain into the neck on either side. Regardless of the route taken, all lymph drainage from these nodes is to the deep lateral cervical nodes (Földi et al., 2012).
References
Földi, M., Földi, E., Strößenreuther, R. and Kubik, S. (2012) Földi's Textbook of Lymphology: for Physicians and Lymphedema Therapists. Elsevier Health Sciences.
