Cervical Lymphadenopathy - Lymph Node Drainage

Preauricular nodes - Drain scalp, skin

 • Differential diagnosis: Scalp infections, mycobacterial infection

 • Malignancies: Skin neoplasm, lymphomas, head and neck squamous cell carcinomas

Posterior cervical nodes - Drain scalp, neck, upper thoracic skin

 • Differential diagnosis: Same as preauricular nodes

Supraclavicular nodes - Drain gastrointestinal tract, genitourinary tract, pulmonary

 • Differential diagnosis: Thyroid/laryngeal disease, mycobacterial/fungal infections

 • Malignancies: Abdominal/thoracic

Submandibular nodes - Drain oral cavity

 • Differential diagnosis: Mononucleosis, upper respiratory infection, mycobacterial infection, toxoplasma, cytomegalovirus, dental disease, rubella

 • Malignancies: Squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, lymphomas, leukemias

Anterior cervical nodes - Drain larynx, tongue, oropharynx, anterior neck

 • Differential diagnosis: Same as submandibular nodes



#Cervical #Lymphadenopathy #Nodes #Drainage #diagnosis #differential