Lymph Vessels of the Muscles of the Trunk

The lymph vessels of the trunk muscles (M. trapezius, M. omotransversarius, M. brachiocephalicus, M. sternomastoideus, M. latissimus dorsi, M. pectorales, M. rhomboideus and M. serratus ventralis) drain to 8 different groups of lymph nodes: the superficial cervical lymph nodes, the axillary and accessory axillary lymph nodes, the retropharyngeal lymph nodes, the cranial mediastinal lymph nodes (almost exclusively to the main cranial mediastinal lymph node), the intercostal lymph node, the cranial lumbar aortic lymph node, and the sternal lymph node.

The lymph vessels of the M. omotransversarius and M. sternomastoidus drain into the retropharyngeal and superficial cervical lymph nodes, the M. trapezius into the superficial cervical lymph nodes, the axillary lymph node and the cranial mediastinal lymph nodes, the M. brachiocephalicus into the superficial cervical lymph nodes, the axillary lymph node and the retropharyngeal lymph nodes, the M. latissimus dorsi into the axillary lymph node, the cranial mediastinal lymph nodes, the intercostal lymph node and the cranial lumbar aortic lymph node, the M. pectoralis superficialis into the superficial cervical lymph nodes and the axillary lymph node, whereas the M. pectoralis profundus drains into the superficial cervical, the axillary and the accessory axillary, and the sternal lymph nodes, the M. rhomboidus into the superficial cervical lymph nodes, the medial retropharyngeal lymph nodes, the cranial mediastinal lymph nodes and the intercostal lymph node, and the M. serratus ventralis into the cranial mediastinal lymph nodes, the intercostal lymph node, the sternal lymph node and the superficial cervical lymph nodes.