title: Extramural lymphatic drainage from the thoracic esophagus based on minute cadaveric dissections: fundamentals for the sentinel node navigation surgery for the thoracic esophageal cancers.
abstract: In order to elucidate the lymphatic pathways from the thoracic esophagus, minute dissection of five adult cadavers, from the neck through the diaphragm, was performed. Peri-esophageal lymphatics were dissected from both the anterior and posterior aspects. The topographical differences between the right and left lymphatic drainage were revealed. The right lymphatic drainage system (RDS) was basically longitudinal and multi-stationed. Longitudinal lymphatics were relatively poorly developed in the left lymphatic drainage system (LDS), and direct drainage to the thoracic duct from the left wall of the thoracic esophagus, was frequently observed. The right uppermost thoracic paratracheal node received almost all levels of the right esophageal wall, and this node was thought to be the key node in the RDS. A contralateral lymphatic pathway was relatively frequently observed in the middle and lower thoracic esophagus. These results seemed to be in agreement with the anatomical and clinicopathological data in the literature, and might serve as a basis for sentinel node navigation surgery for the thoracic esophageal cancers.
authors: Department of Surgery, Gyoda General Hospital, 376 Mochida, Gyoda, Saitama, Japan. hc-saito@sannet.ne.jp
authors: Hiroyuki
authors: H
authors: Saito
authors: Tatsuo
authors: T
authors: Sato
authors: Masaru
authors: M
authors: Miyazaki
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001980:Bronchi; D002102:Cadaver; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D004947:Esophagus / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008196:Lymph / Q000378:metabolism*; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D042282:Microdissection; D009333:Neck; D021701:Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy / Q000379:methods*; D013897:Thoracic Duct / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D014132:Trachea
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