Waldeyer’s lymphatic ring is a collection of lymphoid tissue
It is also called as Waldeyer’s-Pirogov tonsillar ring

It is divide into 2 types based on its location:

  1. Waldeyer’s outer ring: present in the neck
  2. Waldeyer’s inner ring / Waldeyer’s tonsillar ring: The lymphatic ring present around the pharynx

Functions and Importance of Waldeyer lymphatic ring:

  • It plays an important role in protection against pathogens
  • It was named after the nineteenth century German anatomist Heinrich Wilhelm Gottfried von Waldeyer-Hartz.

Waldeyer’s inner ring
It is located in the nasopharynx and oropharynx
The components are:

  • Adenoids (nasopharyngeal tonsil)
  • Tubal tonsil
  • Palatine tonsil
  • Lingual tonsil

It helps protect the body against inhaled and ingested pathogens

Waldeyer’s outer ring
It is composed of various lymph nodes in the neck – mostly cervical lymph nodes
The component lymph nodes are:

  • Occipital
  • Post auricular
  • Pre auricular
  • Parotid
  • Facial (superficial – upper, middle, lower; deep)
  • Submandibular
  • Submental
  • Superficial cervical
  • Anterior cervical