Library · Anatomy
Inguinal lymph nodes
Make it clearer
Lymph nodes are stations of the immune system, and the inguinal ones are those in the groin. They fall into two groups: superficial and deep.
Lymph, the fluid that seeps between the tissues, passes through them. What arrives here comes from the skin of everything below the navel, the whole leg, the scrotum, the vulva, the glans and the clitoris. They are the customs checkpoint everything coming up from the leg passes through.
The superficial ones sit just below the inguinal ligament, the fibrous band that marks the crease of the groin, and the deep ones run inside the femoral sheath. Both groups then send their lymph on to the external iliac nodes.
When they enlarge, they can point physicians toward possible sexually transmitted infections such as syphilis, chancroid or lymphogranuloma venereum.
In brief
The inguinal lymph nodes sit in the groin and are divided into superficial and deep.
They collect lymph from the skin below the navel, the lower limb, the scrotum, vulva, glans and clitoris.
The customs checkpoint everything coming up from the leg passes through.
The superficial ones lie below the inguinal ligament and the deep ones inside the femoral sheath; all of them then drain to the external iliac nodes.
Enlargement can point physicians toward possible sexually transmitted infections such as syphilis, chancroid and lymphogranuloma venereum.
Sources (1)
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingAnatomy, Abdomen and Pelvis: Inguinal Lymph Node, StatPearlsPublished
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
Updated