Abstract
Pressures were measured in the cervical portion of the thoracic duct during a surgical procedure performed to drain lymph in 8 male patients. Cyclic variations depending on respiration were observed. Smaller oscillations in pressure were synchronous with the pulse-rate and result from rhythmic compression of the thoracic duct by the aorta in the thorax. In 2 patients the recordings showed superimposed pressure waves which were independent of breathing and the heart-rate and which are thought to be due to spontaneous contractile activity of the duct.

This publication has 8 references indexed in Scilit: