Interpectoral lymph node

Last revised by Andrew Murphy on 16 Aug 2021

Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data

Citation:

Fidiarakis A, Murphy A, Saber M, et al. Interpectoral lymph node. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 19 Apr 2024) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-73426

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-73426

Permalink:

https://radiopaedia.org/articles/73426

rID:

73426

Article created:

9 Jan 2020, Athanasios Fidiarakis

Disclosures:

At the time the article was created Athanasios Fidiarakis had no recorded disclosures.

View Athanasios Fidiarakis's current disclosures

Last revised:

16 Aug 2021, Andrew Murphy ◉

Disclosures:

At the time the article was last revised Andrew Murphy had no recorded disclosures.

View Andrew Murphy's current disclosures

Revisions:

11 times, by 6 contributors - see full revision history and disclosures

Systems:

Breast

Sections:

Anatomy

Tags:

cases

Synonyms:

Rotter lymph nodes
Rotter lymph node
Rotter's nodes
Rotter's node
Interpectoral nodes
Interpectoral lymph nodes
Interpectoral node
Rotter lymph node

Interpectoral lymph nodes, also known as Rotter lymph nodes, are located in the interpectoral fascia in Rotter space, between the pectoralis major and pectoralis minor muscles. Their number varies from one to four. They are usually considered to be a separate nodal group from the level I and II axillary nodes.

The Rotter space and nodes are named after the German surgeon Josef Rotter (1857-1924) who described the nodes in an 1899 article describing findings in post radical mastectomy specimens ^4,5. Although like many other eponyms they were first described in the literature by someone else (Stigler's law of eponymy) ⁷, in this case, three years earlier by F Grossman ².

Clinical importance

Breast cancer can metastasize to these nodes and they may be positive even in the absence of disease in level I or II axillary nodes. Although uncommon, breast cancer can also initially recur to these nodes.