Contribution of the thoracic duct to cardiac lymphatic drainage

ABSTRACT

In this study, we investigated the relationship between the thoracic duct and the lynphatics of the heart using retrograde dye (methilene blue) injection into the cross-clamped thoracic duct at the level of vertebra T5 in adult adavrs. Eighteen corpses (12 men), 6 women) were examined during autopsies. The thoracic duct opened into the left internal jugular vein in 10 cases (55.5 porcento), into the left subclavian vein in 4 cases (22.3 porcento), into the left venous angle in 3 cases (16.6 porcento), and into the left brachiocephalic vein in 1 case (5.6 porcento). there was cardiac staining (only in the epicardium) in 6 cases (33.3 porcento), with visualization of the surface lymphatics draining along the coronary arteries in the atria and ventricles, these results show that in the third of the cases, some cardiac lymph was drained via the thoracic duct and effective connections could be demonstrated.