736 THE LYMPHATIC SYSTEM 



Lymphatics of the liver. — The lymphatic drainage of the liver is complicated 

 and has great need of being entirely restudied from the standpoint of development. 

 Its course is mainly to the coeliac nodes, but on the way it passes through a sec- 

 ondary group of three to six hepatic nodes [Igl. hepaticse], situated along the 

 hepatic artery. Some of these nodes are along the horizontal part of the artery, 

 parallel to the superior border of the pancreas, while the rest follow the artery 

 in its vertical course along with the portal vein, and become continuous at the 

 portal fissure vnth. two distinct chains of nodes, one of which follows the hepatic 

 artery and portal vein, and the other the cystic and common bile-ducts. These 

 nodes are variable, but one constant node is at the junction of the cystic and 

 hepatic ducts. A part of the drainage of the liver is also through the diaphrag- 

 matic nodes. 



The superficial collecting lymph-vessels of the liver have been studied by 

 Sappey. Those from the superior surface include three sets. From the dorsal 

 part vessels pass through the diaphragm with the vena cava, and end in the adja- 

 cent posterior mediastinal nodes. Some of these vessels from the right lobe pass 

 in the coronary ligament to the coeliac nodes, and some from the left lobe to the 

 superior gastric nodes. The second set of vessels from the superior surface runs 

 over the ventral border to the hepatic nodes situated in the portal fissure. The 

 third and most important set arises near the falciform ligament, and passes 



Fig. 577. — The Lymphatic Zones of the Stomach. (Cun6o.) 



^^^^•^ ^W^'To splenic nodes 



To superior gastric nodes "'■^^^^^s. //I 



To inferior gastric nodes ^xi;jf^ I 



partly dorsalward to the anterior mediastinal group of nodes on the upper surface 

 of the diaphragm, and to the nodes around the vena cava, and partly ventral- 

 ward to the hepatic nodes of the portal fissure. 



The collecting vessels of the inferior surface pass to the nodes situated in the 

 portal fissure, either along the artery or the bile-ducts. 



The lymphatics of the gall-bladder join the hepatic nodes along the cystic and 

 common bile-ducts, and also the superior pancreatic nodes. 



Lymphatics of the pancreas. — -The lymph-vessels which drain the pancreas 

 fall, according to Bartels, into four groups: left, anterior (upper), right and 

 posterior (lower). (1) The left group drain the tail of the pancreas and pass to 

 the splenic lymph-nodes, at the hilus of the spleen. (2) Anteriorly lymphatics 

 pass to "superior pancreatic lymph-nodes," superior gastric and hepatic nodes. 



(3) To the right, lymphatics pass to "pancreatico-duodcnal lymph-nodes." 



(4) Posteriorly lymphatics pass to the aortic, mesenteric, meso-colic, and inferior 

 pancreatic nodes. The splenic, superior pancreatic, inferior pancreatic, and 

 pancrcatico-duodenal nodes are usually grouped together as "lymphoglandulse 

 pancreatico-l'enalcs." Anastomoses exist between the lymphatics of the pancreas 

 and those of the duodenum. 



The lymphatics of the spleen (fig. 582) are found only in the form of a sub- 

 capsular plexus, there being no deep network (Mall). They pass to the splenic 

 nodes [Igl. pancreatico-lienales], which are variable in number and are situated 



