The submandibular lymph nodes (submaxillary glands in older texts), are some 3-6

lymph nodes A lymph node, or lymph gland, is a kidney-shaped Organ (anatomy), 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 lymphoc ...

situated at the inferior border of the

ramus of mandible In jawed vertebrates, the mandible (from the Latin ''mandibula'', 'for chewing'), lower jaw, or jawbone is a bone that makes up the lowerand typically more mobilecomponent of the mouth (the upper jaw being known as the maxilla). The jawbone ...

Anatomy

They are situated just superficial to the submandibular salivary gland, and posterolateral to the anterior belly of either digastric muscle. One gland, the ''middle gland of Stahr'', which lies on the

facial artery The facial artery, formerly called the external maxillary artery, is a branch of the external carotid artery that supplies blood to superficial structures of the medial regions of the face. Structure The facial artery arises in the carotid t ...

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

submandibular gland The paired submandibular glands (historically known as submaxillary glands) are major salivary glands located beneath the floor of the mouth. In adult humans, they each weigh about 15 grams and contribute some 60–67% of unstimulated saliva sec ...

Afferents

They drain the upper lip, body of tongue, cheeks, anterior portion of the

hard palate The hard palate is a thin horizontal bony plate made up of two bones of the facial skeleton, located in the roof of the mouth. The bones are the palatine process of the maxilla and the horizontal plate of palatine bone. The hard palate spans ...

, and most teeth with their associated periodontium and gingiva (except for the mandibular incisor teeth and third molar teeth). The facial and

submental lymph nodes The submental lymph nodes (or suprahyoid lymph nodes) are 2-3 lymph nodes situated in the submental triangle, between the anterior bellies of the digastric muscle and the hyoid bone. Anatomy The submental lymph nodes are situated in the submenta ...

may also drain into the submandibular glands.

Efferents

They drain to the superior deep cervical lymph nodes.

Clinical significance

The most common causes of enlargement of the submandibular lymph nodes are infections of the head, neck, ears, eyes, nasal sinuses, pharynx, and scalp. The lymph glands may be affected by metastatic spread of cancers of the oral cavity, anterior portion of the nasal cavity, soft tissues of the mid-face, and submandibular salivary gland.

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 The Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) is a private medical school in Houston, Texas, United States. Originally as the Baylor University College of Medicine from 1903 to 1969, the college became independent with the current name and has been se ...

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