Adenopatiile cervicale la copil – mereu o provocare

Cervical lymphadenopathy is a real challenge for the pe­­dia­­tri­cian. It is a possible symptom of infectious, but also ma­lig­nant diseases. Cervical lymphadenopathy may be con­ge­ni­tal, neoplastic, or most commonly in­flam­matory. Some of the infectious causes include aty­pical myco­bac­teria, tu­ber­culosis, Bartonella henselae, fungal, pa­ra­sitic or op­por­tu­nistic infections. Neoplastic causes in­clude primary tu­mors, but neoplasia leading to cervical lymphadenopathy is much more common and includes lymphoma and me­ta­sta­tic disease. The diag­nosis is based on a detailed his­tory and a correct cli­ni­cal examination. Sonography also plays an important role in the differential diagnosis of lymphadenopathy, but sometimes only the serological tests confirm the clinical and ultrasound sus­picion. If a con­di­tion persists or malignancy is suspected, a histological exa­mi­na­tion is required, the gold standard being the complete dis­sec­tion of the affected lymph node.