Virchow's Node
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| Lymph: Virchow's Node | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| Regional lymph tissue. (Supraclavicular near top, in green.)⋅ | ||
 | ||
| Deep Lymph Nodes 1. Submental 2. Submandibular (Submaxillary) Anterior Cervical Lymph Nodes (Deep) 3. Prelaryngeal 4. Thyroid 5. Pretracheal 6. Paratracheal Deep Cervical Lymph Nodes 7. Lateral jugular 8. Anterior jugular 9. Jugulodigastric Inferior Deep Cervical Lymph Nodes 10. Juguloomohyoid 11. Supraclavicular (scalene) | ||
| Gray's | subject #177 697 | |
| Dorlands/Elsevier | n_09/12575322 | |
In medicine (oncology), Virchow's node (or signal node) is an enlarged, hard, left supraclavicular lymph node which can contain metastasis of visceral (abdominal) malignancy.
Clinical significance
Malignancies of the internal organs can reach an advanced stage before giving symptoms. Stomach cancer, for example, can remain symptomless while metastatizing. One of the first visible spots where these tumors metastatise is the left supraclavicular lymph node. The left supraclavicular node is the classical Virchow's node because it is on the left side of the neck where the lymphatic drainage of most of the body (from the thoracic duct) enters the venous circulation via the left subclavian vein.
Differential diagnosis of an enlarged Virchow's node includes lymphoma, various intra-abdominal malignancies, breast cancer, lung cancer, and infection (e.g. of the arm).
Eponym
It is named after Rudolf Virchow (1821-1902), the German pathologist who first described the association. The presence of an enlarged Virchow's node is also referred to as Troisier's sign, named after Charles Emile Troisier, who also described this.
Because an enlarged Virchow's node is often a harbinger of malignant disease, it is sometimes called the sentinel node. This needs to be contrasted with the technique of sentinel lymph node biopsy. It should also not be confused with the 'sentinel gland' of the greater omentum.[1]
Additional images
 Superficial lymph glands and lymphatic vessels of head and neck. |
References
External links
- synd/1222 at Who Named It
- 1973026851 at GPnotebook
- HEM39 at FPnotebook
- Mizutani M, Nawata S, Hirai I, Murakami G, Kimura W (2005). "Anatomy and histology of Virchow's node.". Anat Sci Int 80 (4): 193-8. PMID 16333915.
Acknowledgement and Attribution Regarding Sources of Content
Some of the initial content on this page may be incorporated in part from copyleft sources in the public domain including wikis such as Wikipedia and AskDrWiki. Drug information for patients came from the The National Library of Medicine. Infectious disease information may have come from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Differential Diagnoses are drawn from clinicians as well as an amalgamation of 3 sources: 1.The Disease Database; 2. Kahan, Scott, Smith, Ellen G. In A Page: Signs and Symptoms. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2004:3; 3. Sailer, Christian, Wasner, Susanne. Differential Diagnosis Pocket. Hermosa Beach, CA: Borm Bruckmeir Publishing LLC, 2002:7 .
