Fig. 3

The course of the thoracic duct and it junction with the cisterna chyli in the thoraco-abdominal junction on the left. Dissections were performed on a 7-week old Large White pig immediately after it was euthanised to expose the lateral aspect of the left thoraco-abdominal junction. The pictures are arranged with cranial to the left. A: The dorsal parts of the left lung were retracted ventrally to expose the thoracic duct that runs along the dorsal border of the aorta. The thoracic duct is red tinged probably due to the presence of large numbers of RBCs. B: The diaphragm has been incised lateral and dorsal to the aortic hiatus and the left crus of the diaphragm retracted caudally to expose the cisterna chyli and its junction with the caudal end of the thoracic duct in the cranial sub-lumbar region of the abdominal cavity. The reddish colour of the thoracic duct became paler due to influxes of more body fluid