What are the levels of axillary lymph nodes?
The axillary lymph nodes are divided into 3 levels:
- level I (low axilla) – located in the lower part of the armpit.
- level II (mid axilla) – located in the middle part of the armpit.
- level III (high axilla) – located in the upper part of the armpit near the breastbone (sternum)
How many groups of axillary lymph nodes are there?
five groups
[2] The axillary lymph nodes arrange into five groups based on their anatomical relations. Collectively, they drain the wall of the thorax, breast, arm, and upper abdominal wall above the umbilicus.
What are the four groups of axillary nodes in the breast tissue?
Central axillary nodes Lying deep to the pectoralis minor muscle within adipose tissue of the axilla, they contain about 4-5 nodes and receive drainage from the breast, the brachial group, the pectoral group, and the subscapular group.
What is level 1 lymph nodes in the axilla?
There are three surgical levels of axillary lymph nodes: level I: below the lower edge of the pectoralis minor muscle. level II: underneath/posterior the pectoralis minor muscle. level III: above/medial the pectoralis minor muscle.
What is Level 3 axillary clearance?
Anatomically, the axillary space is divided into three levels by the pectoralis minor muscle. The dissection of level III ALNs, located between the costoclavicular ligament of Halsted and the medial border of pectoralis minor, is associated with a slightly longer surgical time and associated morbidity.
What are the 5 groups of axillary lymph nodes and where we can locate them?
They are about 1cm in size and are arranged into five groups: subscapular axillary (posterior), apical (medial or subclavicular), pectoral axillary (anterior), brachial (lateral), and central lymph nodes. The subscapular axillary lymph nodes are located on the lower part of the armpit’s posterior (rear) wall.
What is a level 2 axillary node?
Levels of axillary lymph nodes include: Level I — nodes located below the lower edge of the pectoralis minor muscle. Level II — axillary lymph nodes located underneath the pectoralis minor muscle. Level III — nodes are located above the pectoralis minor muscle.
How are lymph nodes categorized?
Lymph nodes are classified by their location, including: Axillary lymph nodes (armpits) Cervical lymph nodes (neck) Inguinal lymph nodes (groin)
What does Level 2 lymph nodes mean?
Level II lymph nodes are related to the upper third of the jugular vein, extending from the skull base to the inferior border of the hyoid bone. The posterior border of level II is the posterior border of the sternocleidomastoid muscle, while the anterior border of level II has been defined as the stylohyoid muscle.
What is a Level 1 lymph node?
Level I nodes are those bounded by the mandible superiorly and laterally and by the hyoid bone inferiorly. Level Ia contains the submental nodal group, bounded superiorly by the symphysis menti and inferiorly by the hyoid bone.
What is Level 3 axillary node clearance?
Level III axillary lymph node dissection could remove a higher proportion of positive lymph nodes in lymph nodes positive breast cancer patients. Although level III cleaning does not improve survival,20 metastasis of level III axillary lymph nodes is an essential factor that causes distant recurrence.
What is Level 3 lymph node?
Level III. Level III nodes are located between the hyoid superiorly and a horizontal plane defined by the inferior border of the cricoid cartilage. The sternohyoid muscle marks the anterior limit of level III, and the posterior border of the sternocleidomastoid muscle is the posterior border.
What is a level III lymph node?
Level III: Middle Jugular Group Lymph nodes located around the middle third of the internal jugular vein extending from the inferior border of the hyoid bone (above) to the inferior border of the cricoid cartilage (below).
What is a level 5a lymph node?
The lymph nodes contained within level 5 of the neck include the supraclavicular nodes [4]. It is known that occipital and mastoid, lateral neck, scalp, nasal pharyngeal regions drain to level 5 nodes. Large level 5 nodes may contain metastases from nasopharyngeal and thyroid primary malignancies [4].
What does Level 6 lymph node mean?
Level VIb encompasses inferior laryngeal nodes. Within the traditional limits of level VI, all lymph nodes lying between the inferior border of the hyoid bone and the inferior border of the cricoid cartilage belong to level VIa.