JOURNAL OF CLINICAL AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES

Abstract

The lymph from the entire left side of body and right side of body below the diaphragm flows through the thoracic duct. The lymph from rest of the body flows through the right thoracic duct. It also carries chyle from intestines, partially digested long chain fatty acids and chylomicrons. The tho-racic duct develops from the fusion of the 2 lymphatic ducts present from the 8th week of intrauterine life and fuse before birth. There can be connections between remnants of the 2 lymphatic ducts or branching from the thoracic duct. The thoracic duct originates from cisterna chyli situated at the level of 2nd lumbar vertebra, runs between the Aorta and Az-ygous vein and passes behind the Aortic arch and is situated lateral to the esophagus. At the root of the neck it lies be-tween the common carotid and internal jugular vein anteri-orly, inferior belly of omohyoid laterally, scalenius anterior branchial plexus and phrenic nerve posteriorly and esopha-gus medially. It terminates in the venous system by draining into internal jugular vein or confluence of internal jugular vein and subclavian vein or in few cases into the subclavian vein. Variations are common in anatomy of the thoracic duct.[1]