the cisterna chyli collects lymph from the intestinal trunk.
where does the cisterna chyli collects lymph from?
intestinal trunk
the cisterna chyli (or cysterna chyli, and etymologically more correct, receptaculum chyli) is a dilated sac at the lower end of the thoracic duct in most mammals into which lymph from the intestinal trunk and two lumbar lymphatic trunks flow. it receives fatty chyle from the intestines and thus acts as a conduit for the lipid products of digestion. it is the most common drainage trunk of most of the body's lymphatics. the cisterna chyli is a retro-peritoneal structure. in humans, it is located posterior to the abdominal aorta on the anterior aspect of the bodies of the first and second lumbar vertebrae (l1 and l2). there it forms the beginning of the primary lymph vessel, the thoracic duct, which transports lymph and chyle from the abdomen via the aortic opening of the diaphragm up to the junction of left subclavian vein and internal jugular veins. in dogs, it is located to the left and often ventral to the aorta; in cats it is left and dorsal; in guinea pigs it runs to the left and drains into the left innominate vein.
cisterna chyli
the last of the lymph sacs, the paired posterior lymph sacs, develop from the iliac veins. the posterior lymph sacs produce capillary plexuses and lymphatic vessels of the abdominal wall, pelvic region, and lower limbs. the posterior lymph sacs join the cisterna chyli and lose their connections with adjacent veins.





























with the exception of the anterior part of the sac from which the cisterna chyli develops, all lymph sacs become invaded by mesenchymal cells and are converted into groups of lymph nodes.
lymphatic system