Child With Bump On The Back Of Head. Need For Consulting Doctor?

Posted on Fri, 26 Apr 2013

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

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 Answered on

Mon, 20 May 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : My two year old has a bump on the back of his head about the size of a quarter that has been there about 3 weeks. Should we take him to the doctor? What could this be?

Answered by Dr. Grzegorz Stanko (5 hours later)

Hello!

Thank you for the query.

Such bump is most likely a lymph node. Usually it appears after a recent infection (of the respiratory tract, ear, mouth, etc). So if there were any infection recently the lymph node it is. It should be rounded, movable and painless. If so, no need to worry.
However if this lump is hard, with uneven surface, not movable you should consult your doctor.
Sometimes such lump can be also a benign skin lesion like lipoma or sebaceous cyst. In such case the lump is soft, rounded and not movable. usually painless, however the cyst can get infected and give some pain.
If this sounds like lipoma or cyst it is also not necessary to do anything with it if it does not bother your son.
In case of doubts, soft tissues ultrasound can tell what exactly it is.

Hope this will help. Feel free to ask further questions.
Regards.

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