|
Cause of a Neck Mass
|
Rule
|
|
typical duration of an inflammatory neck mass
|
7 days
|
|
typical duration of a neoplastic neck mass
|
7 months
|
|
typical duration of a congenital mass
|
7 years
|
|
percentage of congenital masses that are thryoglossal duct cysts
|
70%
|
Factors that may impact the interpretation:
(1) age of the patient
(2) presence of risk factors for head and neck cancer (see Chapter 27)
(3) presence of focus of infection in the head or neck (dental, pharynx, other)
(4) concurrent local (erythema, edema, etc.) or system signs (fever, sepsis) of infection
(5) presence of a draining sinus or fistula
(6) presence at birth
(7) country (for example, tuberculous lymphadenitis might be considered in a developing country but would be unusual in a developed country)
(8) consistency (hard in cancer, firm with fibrosis, cystic)
(9) number of masses identified
(10) past or current history of malignancy
Often a patient will be monitored for a few weeks to see if the mass goes away. Sometimes a course of antibiotics may be tried. If the mass persists or enlarges then either aspiration or biopsy of the mass may be performed.
