Thoracic duct

Thoracic duct
The thoracic and right lymphatic ducts. (Thoracic duct is thin vertical white line at center.)
Modes of origin of thoracic duct. a. Thoracic duct. a’. Cisterna chyli. b, c’ Efferent trunks from lateral aortic glands. d. An efferent vessel which pierces the left crus of the diaphragm. e. f. Lateral aortic glands. h. Retroaortic glands. i. Intestinal trunk. j. Descending branch from intercostal lymphatics.
Details
Source	cisterna chyli
Drains to	junction of the left subclavian vein and left internal jugular vein
Identifiers
Latin	ductus thoracicus
MeSH	Thoracic+Duct
TA	A12.4.01.007
FMA	5031
Anatomical terminology []

In human anatomy, the thoracic duct is the largest lymphatic vessel of the lymphatic system. It is also known as the left lymphatic duct, alimentary duct, chyliferous duct, and Van Hoorne's canal. It carries chyle, a liquid containing both lymph and emulsified fats, rather than pure lymph. Thus when it ruptures, the resulting flood of liquid into the pleural cavity is known as chylothorax.

In adults, the thoracic duct is typically 38–45 cm in length and has an average diameter of about 5 mm. The vessel usually starts from the level of the twelfth thoracic vertebrae (T12) and extends to the root of the neck. It drains into the systemic (blood) circulation at the angle of the left subclavian and internal jugular veins as a single trunk, at the commencement of the brachiocephalic vein. It also collects most of the lymph in the body other than from the right thorax, arm, head, and neck which are drained by the right lymphatic duct.

The lymph duct originates in the abdomen from the confluence of the right and left lumbar trunks and the intestinal trunk, forming a significant pathway upward called the cisterna chyli. It traverses the diaphragm at the aortic aperture and ascends the superior and posterior mediastinum between the descending thoracic aorta (to its left) and the azygos vein (to its right). The duct extends vertically in the chest and curves posteriorly to the left carotid artery and left internal jugular vein at the T5 vertebral level It drains into the systemic (blood) circulation at the angle of the left subclavian and internal jugular veins as a single trunk, at the commencement of the brachiocephalic vein, below the clavicle, near the shoulders.