This vessel (Ductus lymphaticus dexter)—when present—collects the lymph
from the right side of the head, neck, and thorax, and from the right
thoracic limb. It is most frequently absent, being represented by a
number of short ducts which terminate in the thoracic duct, the right
jugulo-brachial junction, or the origin of the anterior vena cava. When
present in its typical form, it results from the confluence of efferent
ducts from the right axillary and prepectoral lymph glands with the
right tracheal duct. It lies on the deep face of the scalenus muscle
above the terminal part of the right jugular vein. It is more or less
ampullate and usually opens into the anterior vena cava to the right of
the thoracic duct. It may be connected with the latter by considerable
anastomoses and may join it.
The duct is very variable in form and in regard to its afferents.
Often it is a very short, irregular, and bulbous trunk; in some cases
it is about an inch and a half (ca. 3 to 4 cm.) in length and receives
the tracheal duct at its terminal bend. The lymphatico-venous
connections here need further study.