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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Could Lump Like Swelling In Left Side Throat Indicate?

My 7 years old son has got swelling on the left side inside the throat. This has started showing when he was around 3 and half years. The doctors consulted has told that it will start diminishing automatically after 5 to 7 years. Kindly advice as still there is no change and looks same. His body weight is only 22 kilos and is very lean

Thu, 6 Mar 2014
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Pathologist and Microbiologist,  's  Response
Hello and welcome to HCM,
Are the swellings present on the neck region or are present inside the throat.
The neck is a very common site for development of enlarged lymph nodes.
Lymph node enlargement is common in children since children often suffer from upper respiratory tract infections.
In cases of acute infections the lymph node enlargement is usually painful.
As you have mentioned that the swellings are long standing and are present since couple of years.
This appears to be due to chronic lymph node enlargement.
If the swellings are inside the throat, some other possibility needs to be found out.
This could be due to enlarged tonsils.
Tonsils are lymphoid organs present at the back of the oral cavity.
The exact nature of the lesion can only be made after clinical examination.
In case the lesion is visible externally, an aspiration cytology of the lesion can be done.
This investigation is simple fast and it samples cells of the lesion, the cells are spread on slide and stained with appropriate stains.
This investigation will determine the character and nature of the lesion.
The other problem that you have mentioned is that of poor weight gain by your child.
You need to consult your pediatrician for nutritional assessment.

Thanks and take care
Dr Shailja P Wahal

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What Could Lump Like Swelling In Left Side Throat Indicate?

Hello and welcome to HCM, Are the swellings present on the neck region or are present inside the throat. The neck is a very common site for development of enlarged lymph nodes. Lymph node enlargement is common in children since children often suffer from upper respiratory tract infections. In cases of acute infections the lymph node enlargement is usually painful. As you have mentioned that the swellings are long standing and are present since couple of years. This appears to be due to chronic lymph node enlargement. If the swellings are inside the throat, some other possibility needs to be found out. This could be due to enlarged tonsils. Tonsils are lymphoid organs present at the back of the oral cavity. The exact nature of the lesion can only be made after clinical examination. In case the lesion is visible externally, an aspiration cytology of the lesion can be done. This investigation is simple fast and it samples cells of the lesion, the cells are spread on slide and stained with appropriate stains. This investigation will determine the character and nature of the lesion. The other problem that you have mentioned is that of poor weight gain by your child. You need to consult your pediatrician for nutritional assessment. Thanks and take care Dr Shailja P Wahal