Inferior tracheobronchial nodes
Nodi tracheobronchiales inferiores
Lymph nodes packed into the angle beneath the tracheal bifurcation, between the right and left main bronchi; also called subcarinal nodes.
At a glance
- English
- Inferior tracheobronchial nodes
- Latin (TA2)
- Nodi tracheobronchiales inferiores
- System
- Lymphatic
- Region
- Whole body
- Side
- Single, on the midline
About the inferior tracheobronchial nodes
The inferior tracheobronchial nodes lie below the carina, in the angle where the trachea divides into the right and left main bronchi. Because of this site they are usually called the subcarinal nodes. Below and in front of them lies the left atrium and the pericardium; behind them run the oesophagus and, a little to the right, the azygos vein. They are often the largest nodes of the mediastinum.
They collect lymph from both lungs. Lymph from the bronchopulmonary nodes at the hila of the lower lobes in particular passes to them, and they also receive vessels from the oesophagus and the back of the heart nearby. Their outflow goes upward to the superior tracheobronchial and paratracheal nodes, and from there to the bronchomediastinal trunks.
In lung cancer staging these nodes form a single central station. Spread to them counts as mediastinal involvement, whichever lung the tumour began in, and they are sampled by mediastinoscopy or by needle through the airway or oesophagus under ultrasound guidance.
When these nodes enlarge, they push the main bronchi apart and widen the angle of the carina, which may be seen on a chest radiograph or at bronchoscopy. Large subcarinal nodes can also press on the oesophagus and cause difficulty swallowing. Common causes of enlargement are lung cancer, lymphoma, sarcoidosis and tuberculosis.
Course and drainage
- Begins at
- Afferent vessels from the bronchopulmonary nodes of both lungs, especially the lower lobes, and from the nearby oesophagus and heart.
- Drains into
- Efferent vessels pass to the superior tracheobronchial and paratracheal nodes and on to the bronchomediastinal trunks.
- Drains
- A central filter for lymph from both lungs. Its involvement in lung cancer counts as mediastinal spread; enlargement widens the carina and can compress the oesophagus.
Anthromica
See the inferior tracheobronchial nodes where it really sits, with every layer of the body around it.
- Every layer, one body. Peel from muscle to bone, nerve, vessel and organ, and turn it any way.
- English and Latin. Every structure named the way your exam names it.
- Quiz until it sticks. Short drills on the structures you keep missing.
Free to start. No card.
