Inguinal Lymphadenopathy
February 15th, 2021
Overview
How to Perform
- 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
Significance
- Inguinal lymphadenopathy may be an indicator of infection of the lower limb, genitals or perianal area; of lymphoma; or of a pelvic tumour.
Causes of Lymphadenopathy
- Bacterial infection - localised infection, skin infection, tuberculosis / MAC, syphilis, cat-scratch disease
- Viral infection - EBV, CMV, HIV, herpez simplex, rubella
- Parasitic infection - toxoplasmosis
- Malignancy - lymphoma, leukaemia, metastasis
- Inflammatory disorders - lupus, rheumatoid arthritis
- Sarcoidosis
- Medications - allopurinol, atenolol, cephalosporins, penicillin, phenytoin, carbemazepine
- Storage disorders
- Benign idiopathic lymphadenopathy
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