THE LYMPHATIC DRAINAGE OF THE OVARY / 解剖学报

ABSTRACT

A study of the lymphatic drainage of the ovary in 90 infant cadavers was carried out by injecting into the lymphatics. The specimens were divided into threegroups in 30 cases the Prussian Blue was injected into the substance of the ovary; in the other 30 cases the infundibulopelvic ligaments were ligated before injection; in the remainder the infundibulopelvic and utero-ovarian ligaments were ligated before injection.The first group 4-10 lymphatics emerging from the hilus of the ovary ascend along the ovarian blood vessels and terminate in the lumbar nodes. The lymphatics. from the right ovary mostly open into the interaorticocaval nodes and some of them end in the laterocaval nodes, the precaval nodes and the subaortic nodes. The lymphatics from the left ovary mostly end in the lateroaortic nodes and some of them empty into the preaortic nodes.The second group in 26 sides of the specimens (43%); 1-2 lymphatics emerging from the ovary reach the pelvic wall through the broad ligament and terminate in the interiliac nodes, the internal iliac nodes or the external iliac nodes.The third group in 19 sides of the specimens (32%), the lymphatics of the ovary also open into the interiliac nodes, the external iliac nodes or the internal iliac nodes.The results demonstrate that the lymph of the ovary drains into the lumbar nodes under normal conditions, and when the primary pathway is ligated the lymph of the ovary may drain into the pelvic nodes.