Anatom3DThoracic duct
Ductus thoracicus · Hrudní mízovod
Lymphatic & immune
Looks like
The body's largest lymph vessel, a thin tube running up in front of the spine through the chest to empty into the veins at the base of the left side of the neck.
What it does
Returns lymph from the legs, belly, left chest and left arm to the blood, including fat absorbed from the gut.
Keeping it well
Injury in chest surgery or from a tumour can leak milky lymph into the chest (chylothorax), causing breathlessness. A hard lump above the left collarbone can be cancer spread along it and needs checking.