Anatomy
thoracic duct

tho·rac·ic duct
Subclass of:
Lymphatic vessel
Definitions related to thoracic duct:
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Lymphatic trunk that connects all tributaries of the thoracic duct tree to the trunk of the left brachiocephalic vein. Examples: There is only one thoracic duct tree.Foundational Model of AnatomyUniversity of Washington, 2017
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The largest lymphatic vessel in the body, originating at the cisternal chyli and emptying into the junction of the left internal jugular and subclavian veins. It receives lymph from the entire body, with the exception of the right upper limb, the right side of the head and neck, and the right upper thorax.NCI ThesaurusU.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
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The largest lymphatic vessel that passes through the chest and drains into the SUBCLAVIAN VEIN.NLM Medical Subject HeadingsU.S. National Library of Medicine, 2021
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(thoracic duct tree) Lymphatic tree (organ) connected to the confluence of the left subclavian and internal jugular veins. Examples: There is only one thoracic duct tree.Digital AnatomistUniversity of Washington, 2003
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Thoracic duct anatomy must be understood in the context of its embryology. The anlage of the thoracic duct appears in the sixth to seventh week of fetal life as lymphatic clefts surrounded with mesenchyme near large veins.WebMD, 2019
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Thoracic duct, in mammalian anatomy, a principal channel for lymph. From about the level of the small of the back it runs up through the body, close in front of the backbone, to the base of the neck, where it opens into a blood vessel, at the point at which the left subclavian vein and the left...Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2020
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