Occipital nodes
Nodi occipitales
A few lymph nodes at the back of the head, near the upper edge of trapezius, draining the occipital scalp.
At a glance
- English
- Occipital nodes
- Latin (TA2)
- Nodi occipitales
- System
- Lymphatic
- Region
- Head
- Side
- Paired, left and right
About the occipital nodes
The occipital nodes are a small group, usually one to three, at the back of the head. They lie in the superficial tissue of the upper neck, near the lateral edge of trapezius where it attaches to the skull, resting on the upper end of semispinalis capitis close to the superior nuchal line. They form the back of the ring of nodes that surrounds the base of the skull, with the mastoid nodes further forward behind the ear.
The occipital artery and the greater occipital nerve pierce the deep fascia in this area to reach the scalp, and the nodes lie close to them. Deep to the nodes are the muscles at the back of the neck; superficial are the skin and dense connective tissue of the scalp.
These nodes collect lymph from the scalp over the occipital bone and from the skin of the upper back of the neck. Their outflow passes forward and down to the upper part of the deep cervical chain along the internal jugular vein, with some vessels going to the accessory nerve nodes in the posterior triangle of the neck.
Occipital nodes are easy to feel at the base of the skull when enlarged. Common causes include scalp infections, head lice, dermatitis of the scalp and viral illnesses, rubella in particular. In children a cluster of small, mobile nodes here is often harmless. A hard, fixed node in this area may be a sign of spread from a skin cancer of the scalp, or less commonly a lymphoma, and needs further assessment.
Course and drainage
- Begins at
- Afferent vessels from the occipital part of the scalp and the skin of the upper back of the neck.
- Drains into
- Efferent vessels drain to the upper deep cervical nodes, some via the accessory nerve nodes of the posterior triangle.
- Drains
- Filters lymph from the back of the scalp. Enlargement is commonly due to scalp infection, lice or viral illness; a hard, fixed node may mean spread of a scalp skin cancer or lymphoma.
Anthromica
See the occipital 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.
