Inguinal lymph nodes


Inguinal lymph nodes are lymph nodes in the human groin. Located in the femoral triangle of the inguinal region, they are grouped into superficial and deep lymph nodes. The superficial have three divisions: the superomedial, superolateral, and inferior superficial.

Superficial inguinal lymph nodes

They are divided into three groups:
There are approximately ten superficial lymph nodes, and they drain to the deep inguinal lymph nodes. Inguinal lymph nodes may normally be up to 2 cm in size.
They receive lymphatic afferents from the following:
There can be three, four or five deep inguinal lymph nodes. They lie medial to the femoral vein under the cribriform fascia. The uppermost node is in the groin, under the inguinal ligament, and is called Cloquet's node. This node is named for French surgeon Jules Germain Cloquet, or for German anatomist Johann Christian Rosenmüller. It can also be considered as the lowest of the external iliac lymph nodes. Cloquet's node is also considered as a potential sentinel lymph node.
The deep inguinal lymph nodes drain superiorly to the external iliac lymph nodes, then to the pelvic lymph nodes and on to the paraaortic lymph nodes.

Lymph node size

The mean size of an inguinal lymph node, as measured over the short-axis, is approximately 5.4 mm, with two standard deviations above the mean being 8.8 mm. A size of up to 10 mm is generally regarded as a cut-off value for normal vs abnormal inguinal lymph node size.

Clinical significance

The presence of swollen inguinal lymph nodes is an important clinical sign because lymphadenopathy may indicate an infection, or spread as a metastasis from cancers, such as anal cancer and vulvar cancer. Inguinal lymph nodes may normally be up to 2 cm. The cut-off value for normal sized inguinal nodes is up to 10 mm.

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