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Lymphatic drainage of the tongue and the soft palate

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Abstract

To understand the lymphatic drainage patterns of the tongue and the soft palate with radiographs and photographs. Tissues of the tongue, the laryngopharynx, the trachea, and the esophagus from six unembalmed human cadavers were studied. Six percent hydrogen peroxide was used to find the vessels. They were injected with a radio-opaque mixture, dissected, photographed, and radiographed. Final results were transferred to a computer for analysis. Four collecting lymphatic vessels were found. They are apical draining into the submandibular and/or submental nodes, anterolateral draining into the submandibular node, posterolateral draining into the submandibular and/or subdigastric nodes, and pharyngeal branches draining into the subdigastric node. The lymph vessels of the soft palate drained into the lateral pharyngeal and/or subdigastric nodes. The lymphatic drainage of the tongue and the soft palate was described and recorded using radiographs and photographs. It is a benefit for clinical management.

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Acknowledgments

Many thanks to Mrs. Prue Dodwell for her help with the preparation of the manuscript and Professor G. Ian Taylor, Mr. Russell Corlett, and Mr. Mark Ashton, for their invaluable support. Many thanks to The Jack Brockhoff Foundation and National Health & Medical Research Foundation for funding this research, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, The Sydney Melanoma Unit at the Sydney Cancer Centre, and the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology at the University of Melbourne for their continuous support.

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Authors declare that they have no conflict of interests.

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The funding sources had not any academic or experimental involvement in this study.

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This study was performed with appropriate institutional ethics.

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Correspondence to Wei-Ren Pan.

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Pan, WR., le Roux, C.M., Levy, S.M. et al. Lymphatic drainage of the tongue and the soft palate. Eur J Plast Surg 33, 251–257 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00238-010-0417-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00238-010-0417-5

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