eMedicine Specialties > Pediatrics: Surgery > General Surgery
Lymph Node Disorders: Treatment
Updated: Jan 14, 2008
Treatment
Medical Therapy
The medical therapy chosen is based on the most likely etiology if a biopsy has not been performed.
- In the case of bacterial infection, the most likely culprits include Staphylococcus and Streptococcus species; therefore, a beta-lactamase–resistant antibiotic is chosen. In patients with tuberculosis, rifampin and isoniazid are chosen.
- In cases of nontuberculous mycobacterial adenitis, most still advocate surgical management. However, some patients with lymphadenopathy in anatomic locations of concern may benefit from drugs such as clarithromycin, azithromycin, rifampin, rifabutin, or ethambutol.12
- Most patients with viral etiology for lymphadenopathy may be treated expectantly.
- Patients with some of the more obscure diagnoses, such as Kawasaki disease, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and Langerhans cells histiocytosis, may require immunosuppressants.
Surgical Therapy
Enlargement of a cervical lymph node to 1 cm in diameter is considered abnormal and should be considered for biopsy. Biopsy of the lymph node may involve one of two methods. The most commonly used method is the surgical biopsy in which either a portion of the node or the complete node is excised.
Preoperative Details
Before the procedure, the patient and family are instructed in the steps involved and the risks and benefits; a consent form is obtained. Before removal of the node, the pathologist should be informed about the biopsy so the appropriate tests may be immediately performed after the specimen is received. The procedure is performed either in the operating room suite under general anesthetic or in a minor procedure room under conscious sedation.
Intraoperative Details
An incision is made in the skin overlying the enlarged node, and the surrounding tissue is carefully dissected away from the node. Care must be taken to avoid surrounding nerves, especially in areas around the neck. To assist in the removal of the node, a suture may be placed through the center of the node to provide traction to pull the node into view (see Media files 4-5). The node must then be sent fresh to the pathologist for processing (see Media file 6). Usually one large node or a group of smaller nodes is sent to the pathologist for diagnosis.
Although lymph node biopsy via an open technique is the standard approach, with the advent of minimally invasive techniques, surgeons are applying these methods to lymph node biopsies in the thoracic cavity and the abdomen. Although ultrasonography or CT-guided percutaneous lymph node biopsy often does not supply sufficient tissue for the histopathologic diagnosis of a lymphoma, laparoscopic lymph node biopsy has the advantage of obtaining the entire lymph node and avoiding the invasiveness and possible complications of a laparotomy.13
Postoperative Details
Lymph node biopsies are usually performed on an outpatient basis. Before the patient is discharged from the hospital, he or she is usually treated in the day surgery area, where the wound is assessed for swelling and bleeding. The wound area should be kept dry for at least 2 days, and appropriate analgesia should be administered.
Follow-up
Patients and their families should be contacted with the results as soon as the report is finalized. If further therapy is necessary, patients should return to the hospital or be referred to the appropriate specialists for therapy.
Complications
The known complications of the biopsy itself arise from the injury of surrounding structures around the node, including the soft tissue, blood vessels, and nerves. Other potential complications in patients with malignancy include the spread of tumor cells in the area of the biopsy, production of a draining sinus in the case of atypical Mycobacterium infection (if the entire node is not excised), and the risks associated with general anesthetics, especially if the patient has an anterior mediastinal mass.
More on Lymph Node Disorders |
| Overview: Lymph Node Disorders |
| Workup: Lymph Node Disorders |
Treatment: Lymph Node Disorders |
| Follow-up: Lymph Node Disorders |
| Multimedia: Lymph Node Disorders |
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References
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Kelly CS, Kelly RE Jr. Lymphadenopathy in children. Pediatr Clin North Am. Aug 1998;45(4):875-88. [Medline].
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Soldes OS, Younger JG, Hirschl RB. Predictors of malignancy in childhood peripheral lymphadenopathy. J Pediatr Surg. Oct 1999;34(10):1447-52. [Medline].
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Loeffler AM. Treatment options for nontuberculous mycobacterial adenitis in children. Pediatr Infect Dis J. Oct 2004;23(10):957-8. [Medline]. [Full Text].
Casaccia M, Torelli P, Cavaliere D, et al. Laparoscopic lymph node biopsy in intra-abdominal lymphoma: high diagnostic accuracy achieved with a minimally invasive procedure. Surg Laparosc Endosc Percutan Tech. Jun 2007;17(3):175-8. [Medline].
Bodenstein L, Altman RP. Cervical lymphadenitis in infants and children. Semin Pediatr Surg. Aug 1994;3(3):134-41. [Medline].
Luu TM, Chevalier I, Gauthier M, et al. Acute adenitis in children: clinical course and factors predictive of surgical drainage. J Paediatr Child Health. May-Jun 2005;41(5-6):273-7. [Medline].
Evans MJ, Smith NM, Thornton CM, et al. Atypical mycobacterial lymphadenitis in childhood--a clinicopathological study of 17 cases. J Clin Pathol. Dec 1998;51(12):925-7. [Medline].
Pumberger W, Hallwirth U, Pawlowsky J, Pomberger G. Cervicofacial lymphadenitis due to atypical mycobacteria: a surgical disease. Pediatr Dermatol. Jan-Feb 2004;21(1):24-9. [Medline].
Waagner DC. The clinical presentation of tuberculous disease in children. Pediatr Ann. Oct 1993;22(10):622-8. [Medline].
Oguz A, Karadeniz C, Temel EA, Citak EC, Okur FV. Evaluation of peripheral lymphadenopathy in children. Pediatr Hematol Oncol. Oct-Nov 2006;23(7):549-61. [Medline].
Further Reading
Keywords
lymph node disorders, lymphadenopathy, lymphadenitis, enlarged lymph node, swollen lymph node, lymph node removal, jugular trunk, viral-associated lymphadenopathy, Epstein-Barr virus, EBV, cytomegalovirus, CMV, bacterial-associated lymphadenopathy, Staphylococcus aureus, group B streptococci, atypical mycobacterium, Mycobacterium scrofulaceum, Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, scrofula, catscratch disease, lymphoma, Hodgkin disease, HD, non-Hodgkin lymphoma NHL, leukemia, metastatic solid tumors, Kawasaki disease, mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome, sarcoidosis, Kikuchi lymphadenitis, histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis, systemic lupus erythematous, SLE, Langerhans cell histiocytosis, histiocytosis X, rhabdomyosarcoma, neuroblastoma
Treatment: Lymph Node Disorders