Inguinal Lymph Nodes
November 26th, 2019
Overview
Lymphadenopathy refers to enlargement of the lymph nodes, which is often painful. It is important to carefully assess for lymph node enlargement, this suggests infective, inflammatory or malignant pathology.
How to Elicit
- Using the pulps of the fingers, gently palpate the lymph nodes along the inguinal ligament and down the medial aspect of the thigh.
Feel For
- Size - normally <10mm
- Tenderness
- Consistency - hard (metastasis), rubbery (lymphoma), soft (reactive)
- Mobility - mobile or tethered to underlying structures
Causes of Lymphadenopathy
- Infection - bacterial, viral, fungal
- Inflammatory disorders - lupus, rheumatoid arthritis
- Malignancy - leukaemia, lymphoma, metastasis
- Medications - allopurinol, atenolol, cephalosporins, penicillin, phenytoin
- Benign idiopathic lymphadenopathy
Next Page
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------