ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the anatomical features of the lymphatic system of the alimentary canal, liver, biliary system, and pancreas and discusses the general principles of lymph formation and transport. It describes the role of lymphatics in the clearance of tissue fluid under normal circumstances in gastrointestinal organs. In Crohn’s disease, a chronic transmural inflammation of segments of the gastrointestinal tract, notably the ileocecal region, edema and fibrosis of the affected segments are frequent. The chapter considers the information relevant to experimental lymphatic obstruction and also discusses some clinical conditions in the alimentary tract in which lymph stasis plays a major role. Diathermy coagulation of major lymph trunks has also been shown to result in effective sustained lymphatic obstruction. The best documented conditions of lymph stasis in the alimentary tract are the various forms of intestinal lymphangiectasia which result from lymphatic obstruction.
