Inflammation or swelling
A benign (reactive) node is oval, with preserved light gates and blood flow in them; suspicious - round, with loss of hilum, heterogeneous, with chaotic peripheral blood flow, fused into conglomerates. The doctor measures nodes of all available groups and describes the most altered ones - if the picture is suspicious, a puncture or excisional biopsy is prescribed. Common causes of enlargement are infections of the oral cavity and ENT organs (neck), breast diseases (axillary), infections of the legs and genital organs (inguinal); control 4–6 weeks after treatment confirms normalization.
Indications
- thyroid nodules and enlargement, TSH changes;
- lumps and pain in the mammary gland, screening up to 40 years of age;
- enlarged lymph nodes of the neck, axillary and groin areas;
- soft tissue formations, groin hernias;
- fluid in the pleural cavity (pleurisy, hydrothorax).
Why ultrasound
Ultrasound is a safe imaging method without radiation: suitable for children, pregnant women and for repeated monitoring. The doctor sees organs in real time, assesses their structure, size and blood flow (in Doppler mode), and a conclusion with measurements is issued immediately after the study. The information content depends on the training and experience of the specialist; In the clinics below, ultrasound examinations are performed by ultrasound diagnostic doctors using expert-class devices.