Anatomy - Lymph Nodes Flashcards
What is usually the cause of tender and enlarged lymph nodes?
Infection
What is usually the cause of hard and painless enlarged lymph nodes?
Malignancy
What structures drain in to the submental lymph nodes?
Incisor teeth
Gums around the incisors
Tip of the tongue
Soft tissues and Mucosa of the lip
The front of the floor of the mouth
What structures drain in to the submandibular lymph nodes?
Anything below the the line that goes from the medial end of the eye (closest to nose) to the angle of the mandible.
i.e. The superficial lower, anterior face:
The oral cavity - the anterior tongue
The nasal cavity
The paranasal sinuses
What structures drain in to the parotid/pre-auricular lymph nodes?
Superficial structures above the line from the medial side of the eye to the angle of the mandible
i.e. frontotemporal region and the ear.
What structures drain in to the retro-auricular/mastoid lymph nodes?
The upper ear
the posterior neck
What structures drain in to the occipital lymph nodes?
The posterior/occipital parts of the scalp
What structures drain in to the deep cervical lymph nodes along the internal jugular vein?
From all the superficial lymph nodes i.e. the sunmental, submandibular and partoid glands.
From the deeper areas of the head i.e. the posterior tongue, the nasopharynx, oropharynx and the middle ear.
From structures within the neck i.e. the larynx and thyroid
What lymph nodes are physiologically larger?
The jugulo-omohyoid node ( a deep cervical LN)
The jugulo-digastric node ( a deep cervical LN)
Why is the jugulo-digastric node physiologically larger?
Because it drains the palatine tonsils which have high immune stimulation
Why is the jugulo-omohyoid node physiologically larger?
Because it drains the lingual tonsils which have high immune stimulation
What may you be concerned about if the supra-clavicular nodes are enlarged in isolation?
If there are problems within the chest or abdomen.
Stomach cancers also commonly metastasise to this area.
If you have a malignancy on the anterior aspect of the tongue, which lymph nodes is it likely to spread to?
The submandibular lymph nodes
What may you be concerned about if the patient has generalised enlarged lymph nodes (throughout the body)?
Lymphoma
Glandular fever
