Lymph node group | Area of drainage | Causes |
Occipital | Posterior scalp, neck | Common: Scalp infections (including tinea capitis, lice); insect bites; seborrhea; roseola (human herpesvirus 6 [HHV6]) Less common: Rubella; acute lymphoblastic leukemia |
Posterior auricular | Temporal and parietal scalp | Rubella; roseola (HHV6, HHV7) |
Anterior auricular (preauricular) | Anterior and temporal scalp, anterior ear canal and pinna, lateral conjunctiva and eyelids | Common: Eye or conjunctival infections (eg, adenovirus, oculoglandular syndrome) Less common: Cat scratch disease; tularemia; listeriosis |
Submental | Central lower lip, floor of mouth | Tongue, gum, buccal mucosal, and dental infections (eg, gingivostomatitis); group B streptococcal infection (in infants <2 months of age) |
Submaxillary (submandibular) | Cheek, nose, lips, anterior tongue, submandibular gland, buccal mucosa | Tongue, gum, buccal mucosal, and dental infections; dental caries; chronically cracked lips |
Cervical | Cranium, neck, oropharynx | Anterior: Common: Viral upper respiratory infections; infections of pharynx, oral cavity, or head and neck; primary bacterial adenitis; tuberculosis; Epstein-Barr virus; cytomegalovirus; cat scratch disease; nontuberculous mycobacterium Less common: Tularemia; toxoplasmosis; diphtheria; noninfectious causes (eg, Kawasaki disease, Hodgkin lymphoma, lymphosarcoma, neuroblastoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, sarcoidosis) |
Posterior: Toxoplasmosis; Epstein-Barr virus; rubella | ||
Supraclavicular | Right: Inferior neck and mediastinum Left: Inferior neck, mediastinum, and upper abdomen | Malignancy (lymphoma or metastatic disease) |
Axillary | Greater part of arm, shoulder, superficial anterior and lateral thoracic and upper abdominal wall | Common: Cat scratch disease; pyogenic infections of upper arms; reactive response to disruption in skin integrity Less common: Brucellosis; Yersinia pestis; rat-bite fever; toxoplasmosis; filariasis; rheumatologic disease of the hand or wrist |
Epitrochlear | Hand, forearm, elbow | Common: Viral diseases; sarcoidosis; infection of hands Less common: Cat scratch disease; tularemia; secondary syphilis; rheumatologic disease of the hand or wrist |
Inguinal | Lower abdomen, genitalia (penis, scrotum, vulva), perineum, leg, and buttocks | Common: Genital herpes, primary; syphilis; gonococcal infection; lymphoma Less common: Y. pestis; chancroid; lymphogranuloma venereum; filariasis; cat scratch disease; mpox (monkeypox) |
Popliteal | Posterior leg and knee | Local infection |
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