Right lymphatic duct
Ductus lymphaticus dexter
Also known as: right thoracic duct
A short (≈ 1–2 cm) vessel at the right root of the neck, formed by the right jugular, subclavian and bronchomediastinal trunks, that drains the right upper quadrant of the body into the right venous angle.
Overview
The right lymphatic duct is formed by the union of the right jugular, right subclavian and right bronchomediastinal trunks and runs along the medial border of scalenus anterior for about 1–2 cm to empty into the right venous angle — the junction of the right internal jugular and right subclavian veins. It drains the right side of the head and neck, the right upper limb, the right half of the thoracic wall, most of the right lung and parts of the heart and of the diaphragmatic surface of the liver.
It is highly variable: often no single duct is formed and the three trunks open separately into the jugular, subclavian or brachiocephalic vein, which anatomists regard as a normal variant. Its territory explains why a right supraclavicular node is more often linked to thoracic (lung, oesophageal) malignancy, whereas the left (Virchow) node drains the abdomen through the thoracic duct.
- Location
Right root of the neck, on scalenus anterior, terminating at the confluence of the right internal jugular and right subclavian veins.
Parts & subdivisions
- From the right inferior deep cervical nodes — right head and neck.
- From the right apical axillary nodes — right upper limb and right breast.
- From right tracheobronchial and parasternal nodes — right lung and right thoracic viscera.
Anatomy
- Tributaries
Right jugular, right subclavian and right bronchomediastinal lymphatic trunks.
Function
- Returns lymph from the right upper quadrant of the body (roughly a quarter of the body surface and tissues) to the venous blood.
Clinical significance
Right-sided chyle leak
Rare compared with thoracic-duct injury; can follow right neck dissection or central venous catheterisation.
Compiled from standard anatomy and physiology references — see the Lymphatic & Immune System sources. For education only; not medical advice.