Lateral vesical nodes

At a glance

English

Lateral vesical nodes

Latin (TA2)

Nodi vesicales laterales

System

Lymphatic

Region

Trunk

Side

Paired, left and right

About the lateral vesical nodes

The lateral vesical nodes are small visceral nodes of the pelvis. They lie on each side of the urinary bladder in the fatty tissue of the pelvic wall, close to the medial umbilical ligament, the fibrous cord left by the obliterated umbilical artery (older texts call it the lateral umbilical ligament). They form one of three groups around the bladder, with the prevesical nodes in front of it and the postvesical nodes behind.

These nodes are small stations set along the lymph route of the bladder. Lymph from the bladder wall, especially its sides, passes through them or bypasses them on the way to the larger nodes of the pelvic wall.

Their outflow goes mainly to the external iliac nodes, and also to the internal iliac nodes; from both, lymph continues to the common iliac and lumbar nodes.

Bladder cancer spreads first to the pelvic nodes on the side wall. For this reason, when the bladder is removed for cancer, the surgeon clears the nodes along the external and internal iliac vessels and in the obturator fossa, and the small perivesical nodes are removed with the specimen. Finding cancer in any of these nodes changes the stage and the treatment offered.

Course and drainage

Begins at

Afferent vessels from the wall of the urinary bladder, especially its lateral parts.

Drains into

Efferent vessels pass mainly to the external iliac nodes and also to the internal iliac nodes.

Drains

Filters lymph from the bladder on its way to the pelvic side-wall nodes. Part of the first route of spread of bladder cancer, removed with the bladder at cystectomy.