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Nasolabial lymph nodes

Nasolabial lymph nodes are small, superficial lymph nodes located along the nasolabial fold, lateral to the nose and over the upper lip, embedded within the subcutaneous tissue of the midface. They are typically 1–3 mm in size, soft, and non-palpable in healthy individuals. These nodes receive lymphatic drainage primarily from the lateral nose, upper lip, and adjacent cheek, and their efferent vessels drain into the submandibular and preauricular lymph nodes. Nasolabial lymph nodes are an integral part of the facial lymphatic system, contributing to immune surveillance and serving as early indicators of facial infections, inflammation, or metastatic spread from nearby structures.

Synonyms

  • Nasolabial fold lymph nodes

  • Lateral nose lymph nodes

  • Superficial upper lip nodes

  • Facial subcutaneous lymph nodes

Function

  • Filter lymph from the lateral nose, upper lip, and adjacent cheek

  • Participate in immune defense by trapping pathogens and foreign particles

  • Serve as early markers of midface infection or neoplastic spread

  • Drain lymph into submandibular and preauricular lymph nodes, maintaining facial lymphatic flow

MRI Appearance

T1-weighted images:

  • Normal nodes appear as small, oval hypointense to intermediate signal structures within subcutaneous fat

  • Surrounded by hyperintense fat, providing clear contrast for localization

  • Pathological nodes may appear enlarged, rounded, or demonstrate cortical thickening

T1 Post-Contrast (Gadolinium-enhanced):

  • Normal nodes may show mild, homogeneous enhancement due to vascularity

  • Enlarged or inflamed nodes demonstrate homogeneous or heterogeneous enhancement, highlighting cortex and fatty hilum

  • Particularly useful for detecting early metastatic involvement or inflammation

T2-weighted images:

  • Nodes show intermediate to slightly hyperintense signal, with surrounding fat bright

  • Useful for identifying edema, inflammation, or infiltrative pathology

  • Fatty hilum (if present) may appear slightly hyperintense relative to the cortex

STIR (Short Tau Inversion Recovery):

  • Fat suppression allows clear visualization of node edema or pathology

  • Normal nodes appear low to intermediate signal; inflamed or metastatic nodes appear hyperintense

  • Useful for detecting subtle lymphadenopathy in the nasolabial region

CT Appearance:

  • Nodes appear as small, soft tissue density structures embedded in subcutaneous fat along the nasolabial fold

  • Surrounded by air in the nasal cavity, which provides natural contrast

  • Enlarged or pathological nodes appear as well-defined or irregular soft tissue masses

  • CT is useful for preoperative planning, infection assessment, and detecting metastatic disease

MRI images

Nasolabial lymph nodes mri axial image -img-00000-00000