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Cervical lymphadenopathy

Published on February 28, 2017   43 min

Other Talks in the Series: Oral & Maxillofacial Medicine

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0:00
Hello, welcome to this lecture which is on "Cervical Lymphadenopathy". My name is Graham Ogden, Professor of Oral Surgery at the University of Dundee.
0:13
The lymphoid tissue in this region of the body is found principally in the tonsils situated between the pillars of the fauces. Secondly, lying in the posterior tongue also known as the lingual tonsil. And thirdly, in the posterior wall of the pharynx, commonly referred to as the adenoids. Together these form something known as "Waldeyer's ring". In addition to that, there are discrete nodes, which we refer to as 'named' nodes, scattered in the orofacial region, which we will come on to describe in a few minutes. It is interesting to note that at least 25% of all the nodes in the body are connected to the cervical nodes. Hence, it is perhaps not so surprising that many diseases can present in the head and neck region.
1:11
When presented with a patient in which you wish to examine the lymphadenopathy in this region, it is important to palpate both the anterior and posterior cervical nodes. Where you suspect that there is systemic disease then it may be prudent to also palpate both the liver and the spleen. For example, where there is evidence of generalised lymphadenopathy. Please note, that we can also see discrete swellings caused by expansion of the salivary gland, the thyroid gland, and other structures in that region.