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Respiratory System Lymphatic Disorders

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Imaging in Pediatric Pulmonology

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Abstract

The lymphatic system begins to develop by the end of the sixth embryonic week. By the eighth week, six primary lymph sacs emerge as buds from the adjacent developing veins. The lymphatic vessels develop in a manner similar to that of the blood vessels and join the primitive lymph sacs. By the ninth week of gestation, there are two large lymphatic vessels (the right and left thoracic ducts) that subsequently merge to form the thoracic duct. Failure of the many connections to form between the embryonic lymphatic channels results in congenital malformations of the lymphatic system, alteration in lymphatic drainage, and development of lymphatic disease.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Respiratory Medicine, University of California San Diego- Rady Children’s Hospital, San Diego, CA, USA

    Annabelle Quizon

  2. Department of Radiology, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Edward Y. Lee

  3. Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Katie Krone

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  1. Annabelle Quizon
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  2. Edward Y. Lee
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  3. Katie Krone
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Correspondence to Edward Y. Lee .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Robert H. Cleveland

  2. Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Edward Y. Lee

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Quizon, A., Lee, E.Y., Krone, K. (2020). Respiratory System Lymphatic Disorders. In: Cleveland, R., Lee, E. (eds) Imaging in Pediatric Pulmonology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-23979-4_14

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