What is the expanded area of the thoracic duct that collects lymph from the lower body?

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The concept here is the enlarged collecting sac at the base of the thoracic duct that gathers lymph from the lower body. This structure is the cisterna chyli. It sits in the abdomen and receives lymph from the lumbar trunks draining the lower limbs and pelvis, as well as from the intestinal trunks carrying chyle from the gut. From the cisterna chyli, the lymph moves upward as the thoracic duct and eventually empties into the venous system. Lymphatic trunks are the vessels that transport lymph toward this area, not the enlarged collecting sac itself. Nutrient transport is a function of digestion and lymph from the gut, not a specific anatomical region, and endothelial cells are the lining cells of vessels, not a dilated collecting area.