The submandibular lymph nodes (submaxillary glands in older texts), three to six in number, are

lymph nodes 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 incl ...

beneath the body of the

mandible In anatomy, the mandible, lower jaw or jawbone is the largest, strongest and lowest bone in the human facial skeleton. It forms the lower jaw and holds the lower teeth in place. The mandible sits beneath the maxilla. It is the only movable bon ...

in the

submandibular triangle The submandibular triangle (or submaxillary or digastric triangle) corresponds to the region of the neck immediately beneath the body of the mandible. Boundaries and coverings It is bounded: * ''above'', by the lower border of the body of the man ...

, and rest on the superficial surface of the

submandibular gland The paired submandibular glands (historically known as submaxillary glands) are major salivary glands located beneath the floor of the mouth. They each weigh about 15 grams and contribute some 60–67% of unstimulated saliva secretion; on stimula ...

. One gland, the ''middle gland of Stahr'', which lies on the

facial artery The facial artery (external maxillary artery in older texts) is a branch of the external carotid artery that supplies structures of the superficial face. Structure The facial artery arises in the carotid triangle from the external carotid arter ...

as it turns over the mandible, is the most constant of the series; small lymph glands are sometimes found on the deep surface of the

. The ''afferents'' of the submandibular glands drain the medial canthus, the

cheek The cheeks ( la, buccae) constitute the area of the face below the eyes and between the nose and the left or right ear. "Buccal" means relating to the cheek. In humans, the region is innervated by the buccal nerve. The area between the insi ...

, the side of the

nose A nose is a protuberance in vertebrates that houses the nostrils, or nares, which receive and expel air for respiration alongside the mouth. Behind the nose are the olfactory mucosa and the sinuses. Behind the nasal cavity, air next pass ...

, the

upper lip The lips are the visible body part at the mouth of many animals, including humans. Lips are soft, movable, and serve as the opening for food intake and in the articulation of sound and speech. Human lips are a tactile sensory organ, and can be ...

, the lateral part of the lower lip, the

gums The gums or gingiva (plural: ''gingivae'') consist of the mucosal tissue that lies over the mandible and maxilla inside the mouth. Gum health and disease can have an effect on general health. Structure The gums are part of the soft tissue l ...

, and the anterior part of the margin of the

tongue The tongue is a muscular organ in the mouth of a typical tetrapod. It manipulates food for mastication and swallowing as part of the digestive process, and is the primary organ of taste. The tongue's upper surface (dorsum) is covered by taste bu ...

. Efferent lymph vessels from the facial and submental lymph nodes also enter the submandibular glands. Their efferent vessels pass to the superior deep cervical lymph nodes.

Additional images

File:illu_lymph_chain02.jpg, Deep Lymph Nodes

References

External links

Archived Diagram via umich.edu - rollover to see labels
* https://web.archive.org/web/20080216031919/http://www.med.mun.ca/anatomyts/head/hnl3a.htm

at

Baylor College of Medicine Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) is a medical school and research center in Houston, Texas, within the Texas Medical Center, the world's largest medical center. BCM is composed of four academic components: the School of Medicine, the Graduate Sc ...

http://www.patient.info/
* http://www.aafp.org/afp/20021201/2103.html * http://www.emedicine.com/ent/topic306.htm#section~anatomy_of_the_cervical_lymphatics Lymphatics of the head and neck {{Portal bar, Anatomy