| Inguinal lymph nodes | |
|---|---|
| |
 The lymph glands and lymphatic vessels of the lower extremity in males. | |
| Details | |
| System | Lymphatic system |
| Drains from | Most of perineal region |
| Drains to | Abdominal region of lymph nodes |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | nodi lymphoidei inguinales superficiales |
| TA98 | A13.3.05.002 |
| FMA | 44226 |
| Anatomical terminology | |
Inguinal lymph nodes arelymph nodes in thegroin. They are situated in thefemoral triangle of the inguinal region. They are subdivided into two groups: the superficial inguinal lymph nodes and deep inguinal lymph nodes.
Thesuperficial inguinal lymph nodes are the inguinal lymph nodes that form a chain immediately inferior to theinguinal ligament. They lie deep to thefascia of Camper that overlies thefemoral vessels at the medial aspect of thethigh. They are bounded superiorly by the inguinal ligament in the femoral triangle, laterally by the border of thesartorius muscle, and medially by theadductor longus muscle.
There are approximately 10 superficial lymph nodes. They normally measure up to 2 cm in diameter.[1]
They are divided into three groups:
They may receivelymphatic afferents from the following as applicable:
They drain to the deep inguinal lymph nodes.[1]
Thedeep inguinal lymph nodes are 3-5 in number. They lie medial to thefemoral vein deep to thecribriform fascia.[3][4]
The mean size of an inguinal lymph node, as measured over the short-axis, is approximately 5.4 mm (range 2.1-13.6 mm), with twostandard deviations above the mean being 8.8 mm.[5] A size of up to 10 mm is generally regarded as acut-off value for normal vs abnormal inguinal lymph node size.[6]
The superior-most node is situated in thegroin, deep to theinguinal ligament, and is termed theCloquet's node (also Rosenmuller's node).[7] It can instead be considered as the inferior-most of theexternal iliac lymph nodes.[8][citation needed] Cloquet's node is also considered as a potentialsentinel lymph node.[7][9]
This node is named for French surgeonJules Germain Cloquet,[3][4] or for German anatomistJohann Christian Rosenmüller.[10][11]
The deep inguinal lymph nodes drain superiorly to the external iliac lymph nodes, then to the pelvic lymph nodes and on to theparaaortic lymph nodes.[12]
The presence of swollen inguinal lymph nodes is an important clinical sign becauselymphadenopathy (swelling) may indicate an infection, or spread as ametastasis fromcancers, such asanal cancer andvulvar cancer. Inguinal lymph nodes may normally be up to 2 cm.[1] The cut-off value for normal sized inguinal nodes is up to 10 mm.[6]
