Retropharyngeal lymph nodes

The retropharyngeal lymph nodes, from one to three in number, lie in the buccopharyngeal fascia, behind the upper part of the pharynx and in front of the arch of the atlas, being separated, however, from the latter by the longus capitis.

Retropharyngeal lymph nodes
1: Submental lymph nodes 2: Submandibular lymph nodes 3: Supraclavicular lymph nodes 4: Retropharyngeal lymph nodes 5: Buccal lymph nodes 6: Superficial cervical lymph nodes 7: Jugular lymph nodes 8: Parotid lymph nodes 9: Retroauricular lymph nodes and occipital lymph nodes
Lymphatics of pharynx. (Retropharyngeal lymph nodes labeled at center top.)
Details
System	Lymphatic system
Drains to	Superior deep cervical lymph nodes
Identifiers
Latin	nodi lymphoidei retropharyngei
Anatomical terminology [edit on Wikidata]

Their afferents drain the nasal cavities, the nasal part of the pharynx, and the auditory tubes.

Their efferents pass to the superior deep cervical lymph nodes.

They are in the retropharyngeal space.^[1]

They frequently disappear by age 4-5.^[2] (This is why retropharyngeal abscess is rare in older children.)