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Dr. Andrew Rynne
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Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Pea Sized Knot In Neck. Smoker. Is It A Vein?

Hi. I have recently noticed a pea sized knot? I guess you could say, more like a ball really, in my neck . It seems to be on a vein ( on my left side). It doesn t hurt. I have found a smaller one on the right side as well, a little further down so I thought maybe it was nothing but I do smoke so I m scared of what it may be. could someone give me suggestions please?
posted on Mon, 28 Jan 2013
Twitter Sun, 7 Jul 2013 Answered on
Twitter Mon, 8 Jul 2013 Last reviewed on
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Pathologist and Microbiologist,  's  Response
Hello and welcome to HCM,

There are many causes of swelling in the neck.
There are many structures in the neck which can cause enlargement like lymph node, thyroid, soft tissue, blood vessel, etc.
If you are suspicious of vascular lesion, an ultrasound of the neck needs to be done.
If the swelling is due to dilatation of the blood vessels a doppler study needs to be done.
If the lesion turns out to be due to be arising from other structures like lymph node, soft tissue,, etc a fine needle aspiration needs to be done.
In this investigation, cells are sampled from the lesion with the help of a needle.
The cells are stained and studied microscopically to know the originand character of the lesion.
On the basis of these features, management will be done.
Consult your doctor for clinical examination, investigations and management.

Thanks and take care
Dr Shailja P Wahal
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Pea Sized Knot In Neck. Smoker. Is It A Vein?

Hello and welcome to HCM, There are many causes of swelling in the neck. There are many structures in the neck which can cause enlargement like lymph node, thyroid, soft tissue, blood vessel, etc. If you are suspicious of vascular lesion, an ultrasound of the neck needs to be done. If the swelling is due to dilatation of the blood vessels a doppler study needs to be done. If the lesion turns out to be due to be arising from other structures like lymph node, soft tissue,, etc a fine needle aspiration needs to be done. In this investigation, cells are sampled from the lesion with the help of a needle. The cells are stained and studied microscopically to know the originand character of the lesion. On the basis of these features, management will be done. Consult your doctor for clinical examination, investigations and management. Thanks and take care Dr Shailja P Wahal