Lateral axillary nodes !
The lateral axillary nodes lie along the main vein of the armpit; they receive almost all the lymph from the arm.
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What it is
Nodes along the medial and back side of the axillary vein (level I).
What it does
Filter lymph from almost the whole upper limb (all but the part that follows the cephalic vein), then pass it to the central and apical nodes.
Key facts
- Where
- Medial and posterior to the axillary vein (level I)
- Drains
- Most of the upper limb (not the cephalic-vein territory)
- Into
- Central and apical axillary nodes
Relations
- Course
- Lymph from the arm arrives along the brachial and basilic veins, partly through the cubital and brachial nodes, and leaves toward the central and apical groups
- Above
- The axillary vein, which marks the upper limit of a standard axillary dissection
- Lateral
- The axillary artery and the cords of the brachial plexus, beyond the vein; coracobrachialis and the humerus
- Medial
- The fat of the axilla with the central axillary nodes
How to find it
With the arm slightly abducted and supported, the fingers press up and outward against the upper humerus, on the lateral wall of the axilla just behind coracobrachialis.
Common problems
- Swell with infections of the hand and arm.
- Removing them raises the risk of arm swelling (lymphoedema).
How it is diagnosed
Examination of the armpit and ultrasound with a needle biopsy; in breast cancer, the sentinel node is found with a tracer during surgery.
Treatment
- Sentinel node biopsy: only the first one to three nodes are removed and checked.
- Axillary dissection (levels I–II) or radiotherapy when the nodes contain cancer; arm swelling (lymphoedema) is the main risk.
Clinical notes
- Because they collect the arm's lymph, removing them or irradiating them carries the highest risk of arm lymphoedema; axillary reverse mapping tries to find and keep the nodes that drain the arm
- Reactive enlargement follows hand infections, cat-scratch disease and vaccination in the same arm, which can mimic disease on breast imaging
- They lie against the axillary vein and close to the brachial plexus, so surgery here risks bleeding and nerve injury
Related conditions
Test yourself
Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.
Which axillary group receives almost all the lymph from the upper limb?
The lateral (humeral) group, along the axillary vein; only the cephalic-vein territory goes first to the infraclavicular nodes.
Where are the lateral axillary nodes in relation to the axillary vein?
Medial to and behind the vein, at level I, around the end of the subscapular vein.
Why does removing the lateral axillary nodes raise the risk of arm lymphoedema?
They are the main station for lymph from the arm, so removing them interrupts its main drainage route.
Educational information, not medical advice. For any symptom, see a health professional.
Its names
- Official Latin (TA2)
- nodi axillares laterales; nodi humerales TA2 5239
- Official Spanish (DeCS)
- Nódulos linfáticos axilares laterales
- English (TA2)
- Lateral axillary nodes
- Also called
- humeral nodes · humeral axillary nodes
Related
Sources: Terminologia Anatomica (TA2); Anatomía humana (4.ª ed.), tomo 1, cap. 61: Vasos y ganglios linfáticos del miembro superior; Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Axillary Lymph Nodes.
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Representative model, for educational purposes only.