The lymphatic drainage of the leg and its implications

This study of the lymph drainage of the lower limb has shown that vessels from the lower leg drain into the lowest nodes of the vertical inguinal chain. Vessels draining the thigh take a separate course to empty in nodes which are situated higher up in the vertical inguinal chain of nodes. The clinical significance of this separate lymph drainage for the two parts of the lower limb is discussed in relation to acquired lymphoedema arising from inflammatory processes in the leg. The presence of lymph vessels which by-passed inguinal nodes provides an important but unrecognised route for the early spread of malignancy.