Bucinator node

At a glance

English

Bucinator node

Latin (TA2)

Nodus bucinatorius

System

Lymphatic

Region

Head

Side

Paired, left and right

About the bucinator node

The buccinator node belongs to the facial group of lymph nodes, a loose chain of small, scattered nodes that lie along the course of the facial vein between the eye and the lower border of the mandible. It sits on the outer surface of the buccinator, the flat muscle that forms the substance of the cheek, at about the level of the angle of the mouth. There may be one node here, two or three, or none at all, and when present it is usually only a few millimetres across.

Like other facial nodes it lies in the subcutaneous fat of the cheek, deep to the skin and the muscles of facial expression but superficial to the buccinator itself. The facial artery and vein pass close by on their oblique course from the jaw towards the side of the nose, and the node is often found against the vein. Its neighbours in the same chain are the nasolabial node above and in front, and the mandibular node lower down on the outer face of the jaw.

Lymph reaching the node comes from the skin and soft tissues of the cheek, from the upper and lower lips near the corner of the mouth, and from the lining of the cheek inside the mouth. After filtering, the lymph moves down and back to the submandibular nodes beneath the jaw, and from there to the deep cervical chain along the internal jugular vein.

Because it is small and variable, the node is rarely felt in health. It may become palpable as a tender lump in the cheek after an infected tooth, a skin infection of the face or an ulcer of the cheek lining. It is also one of the first places to check when a skin cancer or a cancer of the lip or cheek mucosa spreads, since such spread may reach it before the submandibular group.

Course and drainage

Begins at

Afferent vessels from the skin of the cheek, the lips near the angle of the mouth and the buccal mucosa.

Drains into

Efferent vessels pass to the submandibular nodes, and from them to the superior deep cervical nodes.

Drains

Filters lymph from the middle of the face and cheek lining. An enlarged node points to infection or a tumour of the cheek, lip or overlying skin, and it can be an early station for spread of facial skin or oral cancers.