Intrapulmonary lymph nodes
Dr Yuranga Weerakkody ◉ et al.
Intrapulmonary lymph nodes, or pulmonary lymph nodes, are benign nodularity commonly found in the assessment of CT scans of the chest and are, sometimes, difficult to distinguish from pulmonary nodules.
The pulmonary lymph nodes are divided into subtypes accordingly to their location:
- perifissural lymph nodes 2
-
peribronchial lymph nodes
- at the bifurcation of the bronchi, before the fourth branch
- intraparenchymal lymph nodes
Radiographic features
CT
- around 6 mm in size (usually reported range around 3-8.5 mm) 1
- most tend to be below the carinal level (i.e. lower lobes and middle lobe 4)
- nodules may be oval, round, triangular, or trapezoidal
- may have sharply defined borders
- tend to be solid and homogeneous and without calcification
- some nodules may show a discrete thin tag extending to the pleura
Related Radiopaedia articles
Anatomy: Thoracic
- thoracic skeleton
- thoracic cage
- thoracic spine
- articulations
- muscles of the thorax
- diaphragm
- intercostal space
- intercostal muscles
- variant anatomy
- spaces of the thorax
- thoracic viscera
- tracheobronchial tree
-
lungs
-
bronchopulmonary segmental anatomy (Boyden Classification) (mnemonic)
- left lung
- right lung
- variant anatomy
- lung parenchyma
- hilum
- pleura
-
bronchopulmonary segmental anatomy (Boyden Classification) (mnemonic)
-
heart
- cardiac chambers
- heart valves
- pectinate muscles
- cardiac fibrous skeleton
- coronary arteries
- innervation of the heart
- fetal circulation
-
pericardium
- pericardial space
- oblique pericardial sinus
- transverse pericardial sinus
-
pericardial recesses
- aortic recesses
- pulmonic recesses
- postcaval recess
- pulmonary venous recesses
- pericardial ligaments
- epicardial fat pad
- esophagus
- thymus
- breast
- blood supply of the thorax
- arteries
-
thoracic aorta (development)
- ascending aorta
- aortic arch
- aortic isthmus
- descending aorta
- pulmonary trunk
-
thoracic aorta (development)
- veins
- superior vena cava (cavoatrial junction)
- inferior vena cava
-
coronary veins
- cardiac veins which drain into the coronary sinus
- great cardiac vein
- middle cardiac vein
- small cardiac vein
- posterior vein of the left ventricle
- vein of Marshall (oblique vein of the left atrium)
- anterior cardiac veins
- venae cordis minimae (smallest cardiac veins or thebesian veins)
- cardiac veins which drain into the coronary sinus
- pulmonary veins
- arteries
- lymphatics
- innervation of the thorax
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