arch of thoracic duct


arch of tho·rac·ic duct

[TA] terminal portion of thoracic duct that turns abruptly to the left, usually at the C7 vertebral level, to enter the superolateral aspect of the junction of the left subclavian and internal jugular veins.
See also: thoracic duct. Synonym(s): arcus ductus thoracici [TA]

arch of thoracic duct

An obsolete term for the laterally curved arch formed by the terminal part of the thoracic duct, which ascends into the neck adjacent to the transverse process of the seventh cervical vertebra and passes anterior to the regional neurovascular bundle and phrenic nerve; it then descends, ending in the junction of the left subclavian and internal jugular veins.

tho·rac·ic duct

(thōr-as'ik dŭkt) [TA] The largest lymph vessel in the body, beginning at the cisterna chyli at about the level of the second lumbar vertebra; the abdominal part extends superiorly to pass through the aortic opening of the diaphragm, where it becomes the thoracic part and crosses the posterior mediastinum to form the arch of the thoracic duct and discharge into the left venous angle (origin of the brachiocephalic vein).