PICTORIAL REVIEW
CT of thoracic lymph nodes. Part I: anatomy and drainage
1T SUWATANAPONGCHED, MD and 2D S GIERADA, MD
1Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, 270,
Rama VI Road, Rajthevi, Bangkok 10400, Thailand and 2Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology,
Washington University School of Medicine, 510 South Kingshighway Blvd, Campus Box 8131, Saint
Louis, Missouri 63110, USA
ABSTRACT. CT is the primary non-invasive technique for the diagnostic evaluation of
thoracic lymph nodes. The CT patterns and anatomic location of thoracic lymph node
involvement can provide important clues in the diagnosis of many diseases. Part I of the
pictorial review illustrates the anatomic location and drainage of thoracic lymph nodes
in the chest wall, mediastinum and lungs through examples of pathologic involvement.
Part II of the pictorial review focuses on CT patterns of lymph node involvement in
various pulmonary and extrapulmonary diseases, differential diagnoses based on CT
findings and pitfalls.
Received 11 April 2005
Revised 23 June 2005
Accepted 11 July 2005
DOI: 10.1259/bjr/26411607
’ 2006 The British Institute of
Radiology
CT is the primary non-invasive technique for the
diagnostic evaluation of thoracic lymph nodes. Lymph
node abnormalities are depicted by CT as an increase in
nodal size and/or number or change in attenuation.
Although these findings are non-specific, patterns of
thoracic lymph node involvement can provide important
clues in the diagnosis of many pulmonary and extra-
pulmonary diseases. Part I of this pictorial review
illustrates the anatomic location and drainage of thoracic
lymph nodes in the chest wall, mediastinum and lungs
through examples of pathologic involvement. Part II
focuses on CT patterns of lymph node involvement in
various pulmonary and extrapulmonary diseases.
Classification of thoracic lymph nodes
As in other parts of the body, thoracic lymph nodes are
named using descriptive terminology according to the
blood vessels or visceral structures to which they are
most closely related, or by their general anatomic
location. Although there are slight differences in the
classification of the thoracic nodes [1–5], they can be
divided into those of the chest wall and those of the
intrathoracic contents. To facilitate accurate pathologic
staging and analysis of treatment outcomes in lung
cancer, a classification scheme for mediastinal and
pulmonary lymph nodes (Figure 1) has been devised
by the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) and
the Union Internationale Contre le Cancer (UICC) [5],
based on surgically recognizable anatomic landmarks.
Chest wall nodes
The axillary nodes (Figures 2 and 3) receive superficial
lymphatic drainage from the upper limbs, breasts and
pectoral muscles excluding their medial portions, pari-
etal pleura, and skin and muscles of the trunk above the
umbilicus and iliac crest [1, 2]. The lymph flow is
directed toward the terminal nodal group in the axillary
apices. The efferent vessels from this group unite as the
subclavian trunk, which finally drains directly or indi-
rectly into the jugulo-subclavian venous confluence [1, 2,
6]. A few efferents usually reach the supraclavicular
nodes, a well-recognized route for the spread of breast
cancer [1, 2, 6].
The internal mammary (internal thoracic or paraster-
nal) nodes (Figure 4) lie at the anterior ends of the
intercostal spaces, along the internal mammary (internal
thoracic) vessels. They receive lymphatic drainage from
the anterior diaphragmatic nodes, anterosuperior por-
tion of the liver, medial part of the breasts, and deeper
structures of the anterior chest and upper anterior
abdominal wall [2]. Their efferent channels may empty
into the right lymphatic duct, the thoracic duct, or the
inferior deep cervical nodes [3, 6].
The posterior intercostal nodes (Figures 5 and 6),
located near the heads and necks of the posterior ribs,
receive lymphatic drainage from the posterolateral
intercostal spaces, posterolateral breasts, parietal pleura,
vertebrae and spinal muscles [2–4]. The efferent vessels
from the upper intercostal spaces end in the thoracic
duct on the left, and in one of the lymphatic trunks on
the right [2–4]. Those from the lower four to seven
intercostal spaces unite to form a common trunk, which
empties into the thoracic duct or cisterna chyli [2–4]. The
juxtavertebral (pre-vertebral or paravertebral) nodes lie
along the anterior and lateral aspects of the vertebral
bodies, most numerous from T8 to T12 (Figures 5 and 6)
[3, 4]. They communicate with posterior mediastinal
lymph nodes [3] and the posterior intercostal nodes, and
similarly drain to the right lymphatic duct or thoracic
duct [3, 4].Address correspondence to: D S Gierada.
The British Journal of Radiology, 79 (2006), 922–928
922 The British Journal of Radiology, November 2006
The diaphragmatic nodes are located on or just above
the thoracic surface of the diaphragm and are divided
into three groups [2–4, 7]. The anterior (pre-pericardial or
cardiophrenic) group (Figure 6) is located anterior to the
pericardium, posterior to the xiphoid process, and in the
right and left cardiophrenic fat. This node group receives
afferent drainage from the anterior part of the diaphragm
and its pleura, and the anterosuperior portion of the
liver. They drain to the internal mammary nodes
alongside the xiphoid and can provide a route for
retrograde spread of breast cancer to the liver, via
lymphatics of the rectus abdominis muscle when the
upper internal thoracic trunks are blocked [4]. The
middle (juxtaphrenic or lateral) (Figure 7) group receives
lymph from the central diaphragm and from the convex
surface of the liver on the right [2]. The posterior
(retrocrural) group (Figure 8), lying behind the dia-
phragmatic crura and anterior to the spine, receives
lymph from the posterior part of the diaphragm and
communicates with the posterior mediastinal nodes and
para-aortic nodes in the upper abdomen [2, 4]. When
diaphragmatic nodes are enlarged, widespread disease
in other locations is usually present, so biopsy of these
sites is uncommon [7].
Mediastinal lymph nodes
Anterior mediastinal group
This group includes the highest mediastinal (station 1,
Figures 1 and 3a), pre-vascular (station 3A, Figures 1
and 3b), and para-aortic (station 6, Figures 1 and 9)
(b)(a)
Figure 1. Revised American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) and the Union Internationale Contre le Cancer (UICC) regional
nodal stations for lung cancer staging. (From Mountain CF, Dresler CM. Regional lymph node classification for lung cancer
staging. Chest 1997;111:1718–23 [5]. Reprinted with permission). (a) Drawing illustrates mediastinum lymph node stations in the
frontal projection. Ao 5 aortic arch, PA 5 main pulmonary artery, 1 (red) 5 highest mediastinal nodes, 2R and 2L (dark blue) 5
right and left upper paratracheal nodes, 4R and 4L (orange) 5 right and left lower paratracheal nodes, 7 (blue) 5 subcarinal
nodes, 8 (grey) 5 para-oesophageal nodes, 9 (brown) 5 pulmonary ligament nodes, 10R and 10L (yellow) 5 right and left hilar
nodes, 11R and 11L (green)5 right and left interlobar nodes, 12R and 12L (pink)5 right and left lobar nodes, 13R and 13L (pink)
5 right and left segmental nodes, 14R and 14L (pink)5 right and left subsegmental nodes. (b) Illustration of mediastinum lymph
node stations in the left anterior oblique projection. Ao 5 aortic arch, PA 5 main pulmonary artery, 3 (pink) 5 pre-vascular and
retrotracheal nodes, 5 (black) 5 subaortic nodes, 6 (red) 5 para-aortic nodes.
Figure 2. Enhanced CT scan in a 66-year-old woman with
lymphoma showing multiple enlarged bilateral axillary
lymph nodes (arrows).
Pictorial review: CT of thoracic lymph nodes
The British Journal of Radiology, November 2006 923
(b)(a)
Figure 3. A 65-year-old man with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. (a) Enhanced CT scan demonstrates enlarged right axillary
nodes (arrowheads) and right interpectoral (Rotter) node (black arrow) lying between pectoralis major (M) and minor (m)
muscles. Nodes in the subpectoral and interpectoral regions are included in the axillary nodal group. Also seen are enlarged
highest mediastinal nodes (station 1; white arrows) defined by their location cranial to the superior margin of the left
brachiocephalic vein, behind and to the right and left sides of the trachea. (b) Enhanced CT scan at the lower level shows
bilaterally enlarged axillary nodes (arrowheads), including left subpectoral nodes (open arrow) underneath the left pectoralis
minor muscle (m). There are enlarged pre-vascular nodes (station 3A; white arrows), which lie between the superior margin of
the left brachiocephalic vein (V) and the superior margin of the aortic arch, and anterior to its large arterial branches; enlarged
retrotracheal node (station 3P; black arrow), which lies behind the trachea and above the inferior aspect of azygos vein arch;
and enlarged right upper paratracheal nodes (station 2R; wavy arrow), which are located above the superior margin of the
aortic arch.
Figure 4. Enhanced CT scan at the level of the main
pulmonary artery in a 55-year-old woman with left breast
cancer demonstrating enlarged left internal mammary node
(arrow). Note normal right internal mammary vessels (wavy
arrow) and a portion of primary cancer in the left breast
(asterisk).
Figure 5. Enhanced CT scan of a 31-year-old man with
lymphoma showing enlarged, necrotic right and left inter-
costal nodes (white arrows) as well as enlarged left
paravertebral (arrowheads) and retrocrural (black arrows)
nodes. Note a left pleural effusion (E) with pleural nodules
(small white arrows), splenectomy clips and coeliac adeno-
pathy (N). A 5 aorta.
T Suwatanapongched and D S Gierada
924 The British Journal of Radiology, November 2006
nodes [2, 3, 5, 8]. They receive afferent vessels from the
thymus, thyroid, heart and pericardium, diaphragmatic
and mediastinal pleura, and middle diaphragmatic
nodes [2, 3]. Their efferent channels join those from the
paratracheal, tracheobronchial and internal mammary
nodes, to form the right and left bronchomediastinal
trunks, which may empty to the right lymphatic duct, the
thoracic duct, or open independently into the jugulo-
subclavian venous confluence [2, 3].
Paratracheal and tracheobronchial groups
These groups receive drainage from most parts of
the lungs and bronchi, thoracic trachea, heart and some
efferents from the upper para-oesophageal nodes of the
posterior mediastinal group [2, 4]. The nodes comprising
these groups include the upper (station 2R, 2L, Figures 1
and 3b) and lower (station 4R, 4L, Figures 1, 9 and 10)
paratracheal, subaortic (aortopulmonary window, sta-
tion 5, Figures 1, 11, and 12), retrotracheal (station 3P,
Figures 1 and 3b), and subcarinal (station 7, Figures 1
and 12) nodes [2, 3, 5]. The azygos node, located medial
to the azygos arch, is included in station 4R [5]. The
upper paratracheal nodes link the lower paratracheal
and inferior deep cervical nodes [10]. The subcarinal
nodes are contiguous with the hilar nodes and drain to
the paratracheal nodes, preferentially to the right [11].
Figure 6. Enhanced CT scan in a 69-year-old woman with
lymphoma showing enlarged bilateral paravertebral nodes
(white arrows), left intercostal node (open arrow) and
anterior diaphragmatic nodes (black arrows). Note bilateral
pleural effusions (E).
Figure 7. Non-enhanced CT scan in a 28-year-old woman
with metastatic papillary serous adenocarcinoma of the
ovary revealing enlarged, densely calcified right middle
diaphragmatic nodes (arrow), located lateral to the
intrathoracic end of the inferior vena cava (V) and near the
insertion of the right phrenic nerve.
Figure 8. CT scan through the upper abdomen in a 45-year-
old man with distal oesophageal carcinoma (not shown)
revealing enlarged retrocrural lymph nodes (large arrows)
and liver metastases (small arrows).
Figure 9. Non-enhanced CT scan in the same patient as in
Figure 7 revealing enlarged, calcified para-aortic nodes
(station 6; arrows), lying anterior and lateral to the aortic
arch (A) below its superior margin. Also seen is right lower
paratracheal lymphadenopathy (station 4R; open arrow). V
5 superior vena cava. (From Glazer HS, Molina PL, Siegel MJ,
Sagel SS. High-attenuation mediastinal masses on unen-
hanced CT. AJR Am J Roentgenol 1991;156:45–50 [8].
Reprinted with permission).
Pictorial review: CT of thoracic lymph nodes
The British Journal of Radiology, November 2006 925
Figure 10. Enhanced CT scan in a 73-year-old man with left
lower lobe lung cancer (not shown) showing enlarged right
lower paratracheal nodes (large arrow) lying medial to the
azygos vein (V) and enlarged left lower paratracheal nodes
(station 4L; open arrow) lying medial to ligamentum
arteriosum (small arrows). Lower paratracheal nodes lie
caudal to the top of the aortic arch. (From Sagel SS, Slone
RM. Lung. In: Lee JKT, Sagel SS, Stanley RJ, Heiken JP, editors.
Computed body tomography with MRI correlation, 3rd edn.
Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott-Raven Publishers, 1998:351–454
[9]. Reprinted with permission).
Figure 11. Enhanced CT scan in a 58-year-old woman with
carcinoid tumour showing enhancing subaortic lymphade-
nopathy (station 5; arrows) within the aortopulmonary
window region. This group is located lateral to the
ligamentum arteriosum (not seen). Note primary tumour in
the left upper lobe (open arrow).
Figure 12. Enhanced CT scan in a 65-year-old man with
diffuse pulmonary lymphangitic carcinomatosis secondary to
non-small cell lung cancer (not shown) demonstrating
enlarged subcarinal (station 7; curved arrow), para-oesopha-
geal (black arrow), right hilar (station 10R; large white
arrows) and left hilar (station 10L; open arrow) nodes. Hilar
nodes are outside the mediastinal pleura, below the top of
the upper lobe bronchi. Note enlarged subaortic (arrow-
head) and para-aortic (small white arrow) nodes. Oe 5
oesophagus.
Figure 13. Enhanced CT scan in a 65-year-old man with non-
small cell lung cancer demonstrating metastasis to left
pulmonary ligament node (station 9; curved arrow) from
left lower lobe lung cancer (straight arrow). Oe 5 oesopha-
gus, A 5 aorta. (From Sagel SS, Slone RM. Lung. In: Lee JKT,
Sagel SS, Stanley RJ, Heiken JP, editors. Computed body
tomography with MRI correlation, 3rd edn. Philadelphia,
USA: Lippincott-Raven Publishers, 1998:351–454 [9].
Reprinted with permission).
T Suwatanapongched and D S Gierada
926 The British Journal of Radiology, November 2006
Thus, the left lower lobe is the most common primary
site for contralateral mediastinal lymph node metastasis
in lung cancer.
Posterior mediastinal group
The posterior mediastinal nodes are comprised of the
para-oesophageal (station 8, Figures 1 and 12) and
pulmonary ligament (station 9, Figures 1 and 13) nodes
[4, 5]. The para-oesophageal nodes receive afferent
vessels from the thoracic oesophagus, posterior pericar-
dium, diaphragm, posterior diaphragmatic nodes and
the left hepatic lobe, and are more numerous on the left
[2]. The pulmonary ligament nodes receive drainage
from the basilar segments of the lower lobes and lower
half of the oesophagus [4]. The efferents from the
posterior mediastinal nodes communicate with the
tracheobronchial group, particularly subcarinal nodes,
and drain chiefly into the thoracic duct, but also drain to
the subdiaphragmatic para-aortic or coeliac nodes [3, 4].
Lymph nodes of the lungs
Lymph nodes are located along the bronchi and can be
divided into hilar (station 10R, 10L, Figures 1 and 12)
and intrapulmonary nodes [5, 10]. The latter consist of
interlobar (station 11R, 11L, Figures 1 and 14), lobar
(station 12R, 12L, Figures 1 and 14), segmental (station
13R, 13L, Figures 1, 14 and 15), subsegmental (station
14R, 14L, Figures 1 and 16) and intraparenchymal
intrapulmonary (Figure 17) nodes [5, 9, 12]. Most of
the lymphatic flow of the lungs is directed toward the
interlobar and hilar nodes, which drain into the
subcarinal nodes or directly into the lower paratracheal
nodes [3, 4, 10, 11].
The normal hilar and interlobar nodes are frequently
visible, particularlywith thinner (1–3 mm) collimation and
intravenous contrast administration [13]. Recognition of
these nodes is important to avoid misdiagnosis of
pulmonary embolism. Intraparenchymal intrapulmonary
nodes may present as indeterminate subpleural pulmon-
ary nodules in the lower parts of the lungs [12].
Figure 14. Enhanced CT scan in a 29-year-old woman with
sarcoidosis demonstrating enlarged right lobar node (station
12R; arrowhead) at the bifurcation of the bronchus inter-
medius, right segmental node (open arrow) adjacent to the
right middle lobe lateral segmental bronchus, and left
interlobar nodes (station 11R and 11L; white arrows)
between the lingular and left lower lobe superior segmental
bronchus. Note enlarged subcarinal nodes (black arrows) and
bilateral pulmonary involvement.
Figure 15. Enhanced CT scan in the same patient as in
Figure 12 showing enlarged right and left segmental nodes
(station 13R and 13L; large white arrows) lying adjacent to
the segmental bronchi (small white arrows) and enlarged
para-oesophageal nodes (black arrows).
Figure 16. Axial CT scan with lung-window setting in a 59-
year-old man with myocardial infarction showing a 1 cm,
indeterminate, solitary pulmonary nodule containing an
eccentric calcific focus in the right middle lobe (arrow).
Wedge resection revealed a subsegmental lymph node
(station 14R) with calcified granuloma.
Pictorial review: CT of thoracic lymph nodes
The British Journal of Radiology, November 2006 927
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(b)(a)
Figure 17. A 58-year-old man with bronchioloalveo