Studies on the Lymph Node-Venous Communications I. The Passage of Radioactive Serum Albumen

Abstract

The passage of radioactive iodinated serum albumen (RISA) has been followed through the
medial retropharyngeal lymph node of the dog by injecting RISA into one afferent lymphatic
channel and assaying for radioactivity in samples recovered from the efferent lymphatic channel,
the adjacent internal jugular vein, and distally from the femoral vein. Profiles of recovery from
the efferent lymphatic and adjacent internal jugular vein showed a rapid, sharp rise in
activity to a peak level followed by a rapid decline in activity. These peaks coincided with the
injection time. A second recovery peak from the adjacent internal jugular vein also coincided
with subsequent timed nodal palpation. Recovery from the femoral vein showed a steady
increase to a plateau level which was reached after cessation of injection. The amounts of nodal
retention and passage were quantitated to evaluate these parameters. A simplified hypothetical
model is presented and discussed. The passage of RISA to the adjacent internal jugular vein
indicates a direct lymph node-venous communication.