ABSTRACT
Background and Aims: The thoracic duct is the major lymphatic duct in the human body, the variations in theorigin, course and termination of the thoracic duct are of great clinical importance during surgeries related tothe upper abdomen, posterior mediastinum and in cervical region, but still now a detailed study had not beendone in Andhra Pradesh state, it was decided to undertake this present study. Isolation of the thoracic duct andtracing the origin, course and termination were done to know more about it than already documented andthereby hoping to add more information to guide the radiologists and operating surgeons.Materials and methods: A total number of 45 cadavers were studied, of these 15 were female and 30 were malecadavers. The material consisted of adult cadavers between the ages of 42-81 from the dissection halls ofdepartment of anatomy of 3 different medical colleges in costal Andhra Pradesh.Results: The observations of the formation, course, length, vertebral levels, types of cisterna chili, and variationsin the termination in cervical region are documented in this study. Conclusion: The present findings showed agreat variability compare the previous studies. The findings noted in the present study regarding thoracic ducthad contributed to a better understanding of the anatomy of the thoracic duct and will prove definitely useful tosurgeons during surgical procedures related to the thoracic duct.