The pretracheal lymph nodes are lymph nodes located anterior to the

trachea The trachea, also known as the windpipe, is a cartilaginous tube that connects the larynx to the bronchi of the lungs, allowing the passage of air, and so is present in almost all air- breathing animals with lungs. The trachea extends from t ...

in the

neck The neck is the part of the body on many vertebrates that connects the head with the torso. The neck supports the weight of the head and protects the nerves that carry sensory and motor information from the brain down to the rest of the body. In ...

Structure

The pretracheal lymph nodes lie anterior to the

. They follow the

anterior jugular veins The anterior jugular vein is a vein in the neck. Structure The anterior jugular vein lies lateral to the cricothyroid ligament. It begins near the hyoid bone by the confluence of several superficial veins from the submandibular region. Its trib ...

either side of the midline. They drain into the deep cervical lymph nodes on the right and the

thoracic duct In human anatomy, the thoracic duct is the larger of the two lymph ducts of the lymphatic system. It is also known as the ''left lymphatic duct'', ''alimentary duct'', ''chyliferous duct'', and ''Van Hoorne's canal''. The other duct is the rig ...

on the left.

References

External links

* http://www.emedicine.com/ent/topic306.htm#section~anatomy_of_the_cervical_lymphatics {{lymphatic-stub Lymphatics of the head and neck