Lymph - Anatomy and Physiology

LYMPH

Lymph is the name for tissue fluid that enters lymph capillaries. As you may recall, filtration in capillaries creates tissue fluid from blood plasma, most of which returns almost immediately to the blood in the capillaries by osmosis. Some tissue fluid, however, remains in interstitial spaces and must be returned to the blood by way of the lymphatic ves-sels. Without this return, blood volume and blood pressure would very soon decrease. The relationship of the lymphatic vessels to the cardiovascular system is depicted in Fig. 14–1.