Abdominal Ultrasound Done. Found Lump Below Centre Of Ribcage. Should I Be Worried?

Posted on Sun, 21 Apr 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 Answered on

Tue, 14 May 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : I just woke up and found a lump about 1.5 inches below the center of my rib cage. I just had an abdominal ultrasound a couple of days ago and wondering if that might have caused some weird inflammation there. There is no pain, should I be worried and what could this be?

Answered by Dr. Sumit Bhatti (1 hour later)

Hi,

Thank you for your query.

1. The Xiphoid Process (Xiphisternum) is usually felt as a painless lump just below the center of the rib cage. It is a normal cartilage which ossifies with age.

2. Any abnormal swelling related to the abdominal wall, liver, gall bladder, stomach or any hernia would have been picked up on an abdominal ultrasound. You may draw the attention of your physician to this and get it palpated to remove any doubt.

3. The ultrasound itself will not cause this swelling or inflammation. Any relation will be a coincidence.

4. There is no cause for worry.

I hope that I have answered your queries. If you have any further questions, I will be available to answer them.

Regards.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar