Celiac and gastric lymph nodes !
The celiac nodes are lymph nodes around the celiac trunk that filter lymph from the stomach, liver, spleen and pancreas; stomach cancer can spread to them.
Official name: Coeliac, gastric, splenic, pancreatic and hepatic nodes
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What it is
Lymph nodes around the celiac trunk and along the stomach, spleen, pancreas and liver vessels (including the cystic node by the gallbladder).
What it does
Filter lymph from the upper abdominal organs.
Key facts
- Where
- Preaortic, around origin of celiac trunk (T12); fed by gastric, hepatic, splenic and pancreatic node groups along its branches
- Drains
- Foregut organs: stomach, liver, gallbladder, spleen, pancreas, proximal duodenum
- Into
- Intestinal trunk, then cisterna chyli
Relations
- In front
- Lesser omentum, lesser sac and stomach
- Behind
- Abdominal aorta and the crura of the diaphragm at about T12
- Lateral
- The celiac ganglia and plexus, with which they are intermingled
- Below
- Upper border of the pancreas, with the superior mesenteric nodes below at the origin of the superior mesenteric artery
How to find it
Not palpable. In gastrectomy they are cleared along the left gastric, common hepatic and splenic arteries up to the celiac trunk. On endoscopic ultrasound from the stomach they show as round, dark nodes beside the celiac origin, where a fine needle can sample them.
On imaging
CT and endoscopic ultrasound stage them; endoscopic ultrasound can sample a celiac node with a fine needle. Nodes over about 1 cm in short axis are usually called enlarged, but size alone is unreliable.
Common problems
- Cancers of the stomach and pancreas spread to them; surgeons remove them with the tumour.
Clinical notes
- Celiac node involvement in pancreatic, gastric and esophageal cancer affects staging and the chance of removing the tumour
- Virchow node: cancer cells from the abdomen can travel up the thoracic duct to the left supraclavicular node (Troisier sign)
- Abdominal tuberculosis, still relevant in Colombia, often enlarges peripancreatic and periportal nodes, which may show a necrotic centre on CT
- Enlarged periportal nodes can press on the bile duct and cause jaundice
Related conditions
Test yourself
Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.
Where are the celiac lymph nodes, and where does their lymph go?
In front of the aorta around the celiac trunk origin (T12); they drain the foregut organs and pass lymph to the intestinal trunk and then the cisterna chyli.
Which nodes does a D2 gastrectomy remove?
The nodes along the left gastric, common hepatic and splenic arteries and around the celiac trunk.
What is the Virchow node?
The left supraclavicular node, reached by abdominal cancer cells travelling up the thoracic duct (Troisier sign).
Why is the cystic node (of Lund) useful in cholecystectomy?
It lies in the hepatocystic (Calot) triangle, often over the cystic artery, so it guides the dissection.
Educational information, not medical advice. For any symptom, see a health professional.
Its names
- Official Latin (TA2)
- nodi coeliaci TA2 5282
- Official Spanish (DeCS)
- Nódulos linfáticos celíacos DeCS D008198
- English (TA2)
- Coeliac, gastric, splenic, pancreatic and hepatic nodes
Sources: Terminologia Anatomica (TA2); DeCS; Anatomy, Abdomen and Pelvis: Lymphatic Drainage.
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Representative model, for educational purposes only.
