Pediatric patients may have various neck mass. Most of the cases are lymphadenitis that occurs suddenly without any abnormality, but some may be congenital lumps in the neck. Among them, lymphangioma is a mass that can occasionally occur in children. The neck mass may remain the same size, or they may grow larger and larger. And since there is no clear treatment method yet, it is a disease that requires a lot of research.
Causes of neck lymphangioma include : Not only blood but also a fluid called lymph flows through our body. This lymph fluid circulates in the body through small vessels called lymphatic vessels. It supplies lymphocystes throughout the body and plays a role in maintaining normal immune response. At this time, as a congenital anomaly, lymphatic vessels grow abnormally and turn into a large mass which is called a lymphangioma.
At first, patients may not notice even a small mass on their neck. But over time, as they get larger and larger, they realize some problem on the neck. There are usually no symptoms, but sometimes pain and fever may appear when inflammation occurs. In addition, when the sized of the mass becomes too large, even breathing becomes difficult.
If lymphangioma is suspected, CT and MRI are usually done. At this time, it is possible to guess whether lymphangioma is present by identifying the shape and shadow of the mass. If lymphangioma is suspected, a syringe is used to aspirate the fluid in the mass. After that, a cytology test is performed in the fluid for check the components of the lymph fluid. Usually, the liquid aspirated with a syringe has a pale yellow color.
Treatment of neck lymphagioma is very diverse. Adults usually have a neck mass removed by surgery. However, there is a high probability that the mass has adhered to the surrounding tissues. In this case, there is a high probability of damage to the carotid artery or jugular vein during surgery. Therefore, the operation is performed in multiple divisions. This is a way to reduce the size of the lump little by little. Another methoid is to inject drugs used as chemotherapy. The most commonly used drugs are bleomycin and picibanil (OK-432). For pediatric patients, surgery can be risky if the neck mass is to large. You can effectively reduce the size through injection therapy.
There is an important point for parents of pediatric patients with neck mass to remember. First, you need to reassure the child. Unwanted neck mass can also cause a lot of fear to pediatric patients. Visible lumps can also affect friendships. Take a good look at your child and take him to the hospital right away, even if it is a very small lump. Through appropriate surgery and injection therapy, the size of the mass is reduced, and emotional care is needed continuously for patients.
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