Overlooking an accessory spleen would allow splenic function to continue even after excision of the primary spleen, and could thus defeat the purpose of the surgery. Disorders that warranted the original splenectomy may persist after the surgery.
Lymph from the right upper limb drains through the axillary lymph nodes on its way to the right lymphatic duct. Removal of the axillary lymph nodes cuts off this drainage and results in tissue fluid accumulating in the limb, hence her edema.
Cancer cells metastasize by way of the lymphatics, often establishing metastatic tumors in the lymph nodes. If a primary tumor is detected in a site such as the colon or breast, knowledge of the lymphatic system can enable a clinician to predict where metastatic tumors might be found and what lymph nodes might call for biopsy or removal.
Even the humoral immune response depends on the action of helper T cells, and these T cells become immunocompetent in the thymus. Without a thymus, there are no helper T cells, no humoral immunity, and no immune rejection of the skin grafts.
A plasma cell is much larger than the B cell from which it developed, owing to a great proliferation of rough endoplasmic reticulum. This ER is the site in which the plasma cells synthesizes antibodies.
