Thoracic duct . It is the largest lymphatic trunk in the body.
characteristics
The thoracic duct is the collecting trunk of all lymphatics in the body except the right half of the head, neck, and chest . It begins in the upper part of the abdominal cavity, passes through the diaphragm, passes through the aortic orifice, reaches the posterior mediastinum , runs along the entire length of the thorax, and at the base of the neck, on the left side, generally ends in the confluent jugular subclavian.
It has a normal caliber approximately between 2 to 4 mm. It is the largest lymphatic trunk in the body and carries most of the lymph in the body, from 2 ml to 10 ml of lymph per hour.
Knowledge of the anatomical variations at the site of the mouth of this duct is important to avoid the clinically pathological consequences that result from anatomical injuries in invasive procedures of the cervico-thoracic region.
Clinical significance
When the thoracic duct is blocked or damaged, a large amount of lymph can quickly accumulate in the pleural cavity. This situation is called chylothorax. The first sign of injury (especially an intra-abdominal injury) may be an enlarged Virchow node , a lymph node in the supraclavicular region, in the vicinity where the thoracic duct drains into the left subclavian vein.
