The paratracheal lymph nodes lie beside the trachea and oesophagus, along the course of the recurrent laryngeal nerves. In the neck they form part of the central compartment (level VI), and the chain continues down into the superior mediastinum.
| Location | In the groove between the trachea and oesophagus on each side, from the lower neck into the superior mediastinum |
|---|---|
| Receives lymph from |
|
| Lymphatic drainage |
|
Filter lymph from the thyroid, trachea, oesophagus and lower larynx.
These are the first nodes involved in papillary thyroid cancer, and central neck dissection to clear them puts the recurrent laryngeal nerves and parathyroid glands at risk. In the chest, enlarged paratracheal nodes are an important staging station for lung cancer and are sampled by EBUS or mediastinoscopy.
Metastasis of papillary or medullary thyroid carcinoma to the paratracheal nodes.
Hoarseness from nerve injury during paratracheal node dissection or from compression by enlarged malignant nodes.
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