Esophagus – Lymphatic Drainage

32341 tube colon small bowel lung bronchus bronchi esophagus stomach large bowel bile duct ureter tube principles blood supply venous drainage artery vein lymphatic drainage lymphatics Courtesy Ashley DAvidoff MD Davidoff art mucosa submucosa muscularis adventitia serosa histology

There is a rich network of lymphatic vessels largely in the lamina propria of the mucosa but also in other layers.

The cervical esophagus drains chiefly to the lower internal jugular nodes, then to the upper tracheal nodes.

The thoracic esophagus drains posteriorly to the posterior parietal nodes and diaphragmatic nodes.  Anteriorly, the upper part drains to the tracheal and tracheobronchial nodes, and lower down to the retrocardiac and infracardiac nodes.(posterior mediastinal nodes)

Abdominal drainage is chiefly to the paracardial nodes (also known as the “cardiac nodes”) which in turn drain to the celiac and left gastric nodes.

 

Esophagus, lymph node

02412 code esophagus + mass lymph node enlarged metastasis metastatic carcinoma + grosspathology