An 8-year-old child with acute tonsillitis develops a tender, palpable node behind the angle of the mandible. This node, the largest of the deep cervical chain, is the:

• A Jugulo-omohyoid node
• B Retropharyngeal node
• C Prelaryngeal node
• D Jugulodigastric node ✓

Explanation

The jugulodigastric node lies below the posterior belly of digastric, near the angle of the mandible, and drains the palatine tonsil and tongue base, enlarging prominently in tonsillitis. The jugulo-omohyoid node sits lower, where omohyoid crosses the carotid sheath, and drains the tongue further back. Retropharyngeal nodes lie behind the pharynx and are not palpable externally, while the prelaryngeal node belongs to the thyroid drainage.

Reference: Snell's Clinical Anatomy by Regions, 10th ed.

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Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.