Lymphatic System

Question 1

Function

Answer 1

Immune defense/response, cardiovascular homeostasis (maintain blood volume, edema prevention), and fat reabsorption from the gut

Question 2

Function: immune defense

Answer 2

produces immune system response, returns lymphocytes from lymphatic organs to the blood, and filters and purifies fluid before returning to the venous system

Question 3

Function: edema prevention

Answer 3

reabsorb fluid, water and substances from the interstitial tissue spaces (water, cellular debris, waste products, protein molecules, immune system cells) that cannot be reabsorbed by venous capillaries

Question 4

Function: maintain blood volume

Answer 4

transport lymph fluid to venous system at the junction of the jugular vein and subclavian vein (venous angle)

Question 5

Function: digestion

Answer 5

responsible for transporting lipids from food (chlyomicrons) that are absorbed by the bowel. If there is a problem in this process, fluid can build up and lead to edema.

Question 6

Lymphatic vessels

Answer 6

form one way system, lymph travels via a network of vessels of varying diameter (smallest to largest) and passes thru a series of lymph nodes until it is returned to the vascular system at the venous angle
larger diameter, less vessels

Question 7

Venous system vs. lymphatic system

Answer 7

venous system: blood flows superficial to deep
lymphatic system: can divert fluid from deep into peripheral and then into the superficial system (creating pressure change to impact the way that the fluid flows.

Question 8

Both venous and lymphatic system have:

Answer 8

smooth muscles to move fluid through, and arterial and perforating vessels.

Question 9

Lymphatic vessel system: superficial

Answer 9

Embedding in subcutaneous fatty

tissue, just under dermis, located above the fascia, drains the skin & subcutaneous tissues

Question 10

Lymphatic vessel system: deep

Answer 10

Below the fascia, runs parallel with arteries/veins, drains muscle, joints, tendon sheaths, nerves
Organs have an organ specific vessel
draining system

Question 11

Special thing about lymph vessels:

Answer 11

meet at perforating vessels that transverse the fascia, and if the superficial system can be drained, it can pull up fluid from the deep system and drain that too

Question 12

Anatomy of lymph vessels

Answer 12

Lymphatic capillaries, Lymph node clusters

(initial lymphatics), Pre-collectors, Collecting vessels (lymph angions), Trunks, Ducts, Watersheds

Question 13

Lymph capillaries

Answer 13

Located between tissue cells (interstitial spaces) and blood capillaries in loose connective tissues of the body, occur wherever blood capillaries are located, composed of a single layer of endothelial cell, contain filaments that are anchored to connective tissue
Function: Reabsorption

Question 14

Process

Answer 14

1. Fluid pressure in the interstitial spaces increases, causing the flaps/valves of the initial lymphatic vessel to open (anchoring filaments tension is increased)
2. Protein molecules, water etc enters the initial lymphatic vessel and is now called lymph fluid.
3. Pressure in initial lymph capillary is lower than in interstitial spaces

Question 15

Precollectors

Answer 15

vessel that connects the initial lymph capillaries to the lymph collectors of the superficial lymphatic system, and also connect superficial lymph capillaries to deep lymph collectors = perforating precollectors
• Underdeveloped valves and smooth muscles
• Perforate fascia, located in the parasternal, paravertebral & intercostals areas

Question 16

Collecting vessels

Answer 16

Progressively larger diameter vessels, used for transport, have well developed valves & smooth muscle, promote directional flow, prevent reflux, and have characteristics similar to veins

Question 17

Lymph angion

Answer 17

area in between valves in collecting vessels where fluid moves, have smooth muscle walls innervated by the sympathetic nervous system

Question 18

Similarities between collecting vessels and veins:

Answer 18

Three layers
More valves
Thinner walls

Question 19

Lymph trunks:

Answer 19

Union of the larger collecting vessels, lymph moves into the deep system into larger
collecting vessels via lymph trunks

Question 20

Ducts

Answer 20

R lymphatic duct drains R upper quadrant

Thoracic duct drains the L upper quadrant, B lower quadrant, B LE, pelvis, and abdomen

Question 21

All lymph fluid ends up in:

Answer 21

R lymphatic duct or thoracic duct

Question 22

Only direct connection with venous system is:

Answer 22

junction of ducts and jugular/subclavian veins

Question 23

lymph nodes

Answer 23

biological filter, mainly located in the respiratory and intestinal region, bean-shaped and run along vessels in chains, and are afferent and efferent vessels

Question 24

Why bottleneck in lymph nodes?

Answer 24

more afferent vessels coming in than efferent vessels coming out, allows phagocytosis to occur, and fluid to be reabsorbed, and thus there is less going out. Time slows in the lymph region to allow more to absorb, and water also comes in.

Question 25

Why so many lymph nodes at respiratory and intestinal region?

Answer 25

These are areas of our body where we ingest a lot of crap: from breathing and swallowing in, and also from eating, so this helps to protect us especially in those places.

Question 26

Regions of many lymph nodes

Answer 26

head and neck (cervical regions), supraclavicular, axillary region, mamillary area, down the thoracic trunk, inguinal, (any major artery = lymph node region)

Question 27

Lymph flow

Answer 27

from left and right lumbar trunk and intestinal trunk, into cisterna chyli, and then up the trunk into the thoracic duct

Question 28

Watersheds

Answer 28

Boundary you cannot cross, divide the body into parts. Tells you which lymph nodes fluid will drain at different body regions. In the superficial network (not the deep), they can cross the watershed in times of fluid overload (they can send some fluid across to other nodes). Area where there are not a lot of lymph nodes, so we’ll need to find the alternative drainage routes in times of fluid overload.

Question 29

3 watersheds

Answer 29

sagittal, clavicular, and transverse, coronal, spine/scapula, chaps

Question 30

Manual drainage

Answer 30

drain trunk/UE to axillary region, elbows or neck

drain LE to groin or popliteal

Question 31

In lymphatic system, function is always a result of:

Answer 31

anatomy

Question 32

Overall pathway

Answer 32

capillary bed, lymphatic capillaries, precollectors, collecting vessels, nodes, trunks, venous angle