Lypmh Node

[headproblemz]

Hello,

A couple of months ago, my son noticed that he had a small enlarged lymph node on the left side of his neck. He went to his doctor, he said it was nothing but to get an ultra-sound. He got an ultra-sound, and the results came back as 0.7 by 0.5 or somewhere in that area. Less then 1.0 for sure though. He said it was nothing to worry about. He is 16. Can you give me your opinion please, if you have any ideas what it could be? There is no pain at all. He does have acne though, maybe that has something to do with it. He is only taking Dalacin T 1.0%. He took Biaxin to try and make it go down, but it did nothing. When I ask him to feel it to see if it grew, he said he wasn't sure. It has been around 8 weeks since this all had happened.

Thanks

[Forum-M.D.-DT]

Thank you for your question and for visiting the Family Practice Forum.
I can tell you that if there is any inflammation or infection of the skin, nasal passages, throat or ears (or essentially anywhere in the "head and neck" region), you may get the enlargement of one or more lymph nodes. Without a doubt, the presence of acne quite commonly is associated with lymph node enlargement in this area.
There are certain characteristics which make the presence of a lymph node LESS worrysome. [smooth, soft, and freely moveablve (when you feel the node beneath the skin) is less worrysome VS. fixed, rough and hard).
The size in and of itself makes me worry less, as does the fact that the ultrasound did not cause reason for concern.
To make a DEFINITIVE diagnosis, you need a biopsy. This may be the best plan of action to take if you continue to worry about this despite your doctor's reassurance.
I can tell you that my gut feeling here is that this is nothing more than a reactive lymph node which is present due to the skin inflammation commonly seen with acne. However, most doctors would agree that despite the physical characteristics of this lymph node and the reassuring comments you received following the ultrasound, that if the lymph node persists, OR if it enlarges it should be biopsied.
I wish you well!
Dean M. Tomasello, M.D.

[Rena]

Hi i'm not a doctor but i was reading through the posts and this one caught my eye since we just recently went through this with my son. My son is 8 yrs old and in may his doctor noticed that his lymph node on his left side was swollen so they put him on antiobiotics to see if it was an infection after taking the antiobiotics the lump was still there so we were referred to a surgeon. When we went to see the surgeon he took one look in his throat and said that it was his tonsils that were badly infected and most likly the cause of the lump, he said infection in the ear, nose and throat area will cause the lump because the node acts as a filter. My son had his tonsils take out that week and we were shocked to find out from teh surgeon after the surgury that his tonsils were so badly infected and had been missed by his doctors for over 2 years. My son never complained about a sore throat so we had no idea. After surgury teh surgeon said he wanted to give it 3 months and if it still did not go away he wanted to remove the lump to have it tested for possibly hodgkins disiese but he was pretty sure it would go away before it came to that. Well my son seen teh doctor once a month for 3 months and the lump never went away however it also never got bigger so that was a good sign. Last month on the 17th they removed the lump from his neck the procedure only took 20 minutes and he was put under for it because of his age. We got the results back that week that it was not cancer or hodgkins. The surgeon said it was the cause of the tonsils being infected for so long. I know some may tell you not to worry but it is worth being checked out and possibly a biopsy done just to be on the safe side just for the peace of mind. I hope all turns out well.