The superior deep cervical lymph nodes are the deep cervical lymph nodes that are situated adjacent to the superior portion of the

internal jugular vein The internal jugular vein is a paired jugular vein that collects blood from the brain and the superficial parts of the face and neck. This vein runs in the carotid sheath with the common carotid artery and vagus nerve. It begins in the poste ...

. They drain either to the inferior deep cervical lymph nodes or into the

jugular trunk The jugular trunk is a lymphatic vessel in the neck. It is formed by vessels that emerge from the superior deep cervical lymph nodes and unite to efferents of the inferior deep cervical lymph nodes. On the right side, this trunk ends in the junc ...

. Most of these lymph nodes are situated deep to the

sternocleidomastoid muscle The sternocleidomastoid muscle is one of the largest and most superficial cervical muscles. The primary actions of the muscle are rotation of the head to the opposite side and flexion of the neck. The sternocleidomastoid is innervated by the access ...

, though some are not. Some are situated anterior and some posterior to the internal jugular vein. They are also situated adjacent to the accessory nerve (CN XI).

Jugulodigastric group

Superior deep cervical lymph nodes situated in a triangular region bounded by the posterior belly of the digastric muscle, the facial vein, and the internal jugular vein form a subgroup - the jugulodigastric group. The group consists of a single large lymph node and multiple smaller lymph nodes. It is particularly involved in the drainage of the tongue.

References

Lymphatics of the head and neck {{Portal bar, Anatomy