Answer to An Austin as Lovely as a Tree
Correct answer is D, the thoracic duct. The duct drains lymph from below the umbilicus, the left thorax, the left upper limb and the left side of the head and neck. The remaining lymph is drained by the right lymphatic duct. Apparently, during the accident, Enrique’s head on collision must have torn the thoracic duct. The overnight flight to Barcelona and the low cabin pressure resulted in edema to all areas drained by the duct. Edema after lymph gland removal to assess cancer metastasis can lead to similar edema, for example, in women who undergo an axillary lymph node dissection. However, in these cases, the edema is more localized. In a torn thoracic duct, the lymph fluid is unable to re-enter the circulation and results in a chylothorax. Sometimes “lymph tears” can exit from the skin of the back.
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Answer to this question is based on material presented in lectures 13 of the Thorax Lecture Series.
= Left brachiocephalic v.
= Arch of azygos
= Azygos v.
= Thoracic duct
= Hemiazygos v