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The Lymphatic System Quiz
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Which lymphatic vessel returns lymph from most of the body to the left venous angle, the junction of the left internal jugular and subclavian veins?
- A Thoracic duct You picked ✓
- B Left jugular lymphatic trunk You picked ✕
- C Cisterna chyli You picked ✕
- D Left bronchomediastinal trunk You picked ✕
- E Right lymphatic duct You picked ✕
Correct!
Incorrect
The answer is A: Thoracic duct
Explanation
Why A is correct
See Lymphatic Vessels. Option A is correct. Lymph returns to the blood through two ducts that empty into the large veins at the base of the neck. The thoracic duct is the main one. It carries lymph from the lower limbs, the abdomen, the left side of the thorax, the left upper limb and the left side of the head and neck, which is the whole body apart from the upper right quadrant. It empties into the left venous angle, the junction of the left internal jugular and left subclavian veins, which is a low-pressure site that lets lymph flow back into the blood. The smaller right lymphatic duct drains the right side of the head and neck, the right thorax and the right upper limb into the right venous angle. Smaller vessels called lymphatic trunks, such as the jugular and bronchomediastinal trunks, collect lymph from regions and feed into these ducts. A good way to remember it is "one big duct on the left for most of the body, one small duct on the right". If the thoracic duct is blocked, lymph from most of the body cannot return to the blood easily.
- Main duct: the thoracic duct drains the whole body apart from the upper right quadrant.
- Outflow: it empties at the left venous angle, where the left internal jugular and subclavian veins join.
- Right side: the smaller right lymphatic duct drains the upper right quadrant.
Why the other options are incorrect
- B. Left jugular lymphatic trunk: This trunk collects lymph from the left side of the head and neck, which is only a small part of the body. It joins the thoracic duct or the venous angle and is not the main vessel. Your answer
- C. Cisterna chyli: The cisterna chyli is a dilated sac in the abdomen where lymph collects at the start of the thoracic duct. It is the beginning of the duct and does not itself empty into a vein. Your answer
- D. Left bronchomediastinal trunk: This trunk drains lymph from the left thoracic structures. It is a small tributary and not the vessel that drains most of the body. Your answer
- E. Right lymphatic duct: The right lymphatic duct drains only the right upper quadrant and empties on the right side, at the right venous angle. It does not drain most of the body. Your answer
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More questions from this set. Start the quiz to answer them and see each explanation.
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1
Which region of the body is drained by the right lymphatic duct?
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2
A 22-year-old woman has a painful swelling in her left armpit one week after an infected cut on her left forearm. Which lymphatic organ is most directly responsible for filtering lymph from the affected limb?
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