The inferior mesenteric lymph nodes consist of: * (a) small glands on the branches of the left colic and

sigmoid arteries The sigmoid arteries are 2-5 branches of the inferior mesenteric artery that are distributed to the distal descending colon and the sigmoid colon. Anatomy Course and relations The sigmoid arteries course obliquely inferior-ward and to the lef ...

* (b) a group in the sigmoid mesocolon, around the superior hemorrhoidal artery * (c) a pararectal group in contact with the muscular coat of the

rectum The rectum is the final straight portion of the large intestine in humans and some other mammals, and the gut in others. The adult human rectum is about long, and begins at the rectosigmoid junction (the end of the sigmoid colon) at the l ...

Structure

The inferior mesenteric lymph nodes are

lymph node A lymph node, or lymph gland, is a kidney-shaped organ of the lymphatic system and the adaptive immune system. A large number of lymph nodes are linked throughout the body by the lymphatic vessels. They are major sites of lymphocytes that includ ...

s present throughout the

hindgut The hindgut (or epigaster) is the posterior ( caudal) part of the alimentary canal. In mammals, it includes the distal one third of the transverse colon and the splenic flexure, the descending colon, sigmoid colon and up to the ano-rectal ju ...

Function

The inferior mesenteric lymph nodes drain structures related to the

. The lymph nodes drain into the

superior mesenteric lymph nodes The superior mesenteric lymph nodes may be divided into three principal groups: * mesenteric lymph nodes * ileocolic lymph nodes * mesocolic lymph nodes Structure Mesenteric lymph nodes The mesenteric lymph nodes or mesenteric glands are one of ...

and ultimately to the preaortic lymph nodes. Lymph nodes surrounding the

inferior mesenteric artery In human anatomy, the inferior mesenteric artery, often abbreviated as IMA, is the third main branch of the abdominal aorta and arises at the level of L3, supplying the large intestine from the distal transverse colon to the upper part of the a ...

drain directly into the preaortic nodes. They drain the

descending colon In the anatomy of humans and homologous primates, the descending colon is the part of the colon extending from the left colic flexure to the level of the iliac crest (whereupon it transitions into the sigmoid colon). The function of the descendi ...

and sigmoid parts of the colon and the upper part of the

Clinical significance

Colorectal cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel ...

may metastasise to the inferior mesenteric lymph nodes. For this reason, the

may be removed in people with lymph node-positive cancer. This has been proposed since at least 1908, by surgeon

William Ernest Miles William Ernest Miles (15 January 1869 – 24 September 1947) was an English surgeon known for the Miles' operation: an abdomino-perineal excision for rectal cancer. Sources differ as to whether Miles was born in Trinidad or in Uppingham, Engla ...

Additional images

File:Lymph node regions.svg , Regional lymph tissue File:Illu lymph chain09.jpg, Lymph Nodes of the Large Intestine and Lower Abdomen

References

{{Portal bar, Anatomy Lymphatics of the torso