Anatomy lymphatics

Airway cross-sections have the nominal anatomy shown in Fig. 5.16. Airway surface liquid (AST), primarily composed of mucus gel and water, surrounds the airway lumen with a thickness thought to vary from 5 to 10 mm. AST lies on the apical surface of airway epithelial cells (mostly columnar ciliated epithelium). This layer of cells, roughly two to three cells thick in proximal airways and eventually thinning to a single cell thickness in distal airways, rests along a basement membrane on its basal surface. Connective tissue (collagen fibers, basement membranes, elastin, and water) lies between the basement membrane and airway smooth muscle. Edema occurs when the volume of water within the connective tissue increases considerably. Interspersed within the smooth muscle are respiratory supply vessels (capillaries, arteriovenous anastomoses), nerves, and lymphatic vessels. 

O Driscoll CM (1992) Anatomy and Physiology of the Lymphatics. In WN Charman, VJ Stella (Eds.), Lymphatic Transport of Drugs. Boca Raton, CRC Press. 

For more detailed information on the respiratory tract, the pleura, and the lymphatic system, consult Gray s Anatomy or other standard medical texts. A comprehensive review of the lung and its structure and function is presented in Nagaishi (1972). 

FIGURE 2.37 Thoracic duct and other vessels of the thorax. Lymphatic capillaries are most numerous just beneath body surfaces, such as the skin and the mucus membranes of the gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts. The mucus membrane of the gastrointestinal tract is called the gut mucosa. The general function of these capillaries is to absorb interstitial fluid that has leaked from the circulatory system and to return it to the bloodstream. The function of the l)miphatic capillaries that end in the lacteals of the small intestine is to transport absorbed dietary lipids. These capillaries coalesce and eventually deliver their contents to the thoracic duct. The lymph collected from other parts of the body, as indicated by the "collecting trunk," also is transferred to the thoracic duct. [Redrawn with permission, from "Grant s Atlas of Anatomy," Williams Wilkins Co., Baltimore, 1978.]... 

Thompson, J.E, Uren, RE, Shaw, H.M., McCarthy, W.H., Quinn, M.J., O Brien, C.J., and Howman-Giles, RB., The location of sentinel lymph nodes in patients with cutaneous melanoma new insights into lymphatic anatomy, J. Am. Coll. Surg., 1999, 189, 195-206. 

Turning to the cellular anatomy of the CSF, the normal cell count is up to 4 pi This is constituted of approximately two-thirds lymphocytes and one-third macrophages. This comprises an ideal mixture for the production of antibodies. Since the brain has very few lymphatic ducts, it has been argued that one of the main functions of CSF is to act as a kind of lymph for the brain tissue. Under pathological conditions this function becomes especially prominent. 

Reinterpreted Anatomy and Clinical Relevance 12 Important Vessels, Nerves and Lymphatics of the Posterior Compartment 13 Anterior Compartment 14 Connective Tissue Structures 14 Muscles 15... 

Fig. 11.7. Lateral view. Voluminous lymphatic swelling of the superior wall of the nasopharynx (M). The tubaric ostium is compressed (arrows). From Pandolfo 1. Virtual endoscopy of the nasopharynx in the evaluation of its normal anatomy and alterations due to lymphoid hyperplasia preliminary report. Eur Radiol 2004 14(10) 1882-1888...

Above the cochlea there is the osseous labyrinth with the semicircular ducts, in front of which the bag-like saccule and utricle contain the static sense, namely the sense of equilibrium in their respective vertical and horizontal arrangements (Ingure 6.26). By this, gravitational power and many movements in horizontal and vertical directions are perceived. At the entrance point to each of the semicircular ducts, rotary movements and angular accelerations are registered. The anatomy of the semicircular ducts (relative movement of the lymphatic liquid) effects the adaptation to uniform vibrations. 

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