[Enlarged mesenteric lymph nodes in children: a clinical analysis with ultrasonography and the implications]
Wen-gang WANG1, Hui TIAN, Ji-ying YAN
1Department of Ultrasonography, Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050000, China. wangwengang3107@126.com
Objective:
To compare the enlarged mesenteric lymph nodes in healthy children with those children with mesenteric lymphadenitis.
Methods:
According to the diagnostic criteria defining lymph node enlargement as a 5-mm enlargement or greater in the short diameter, 137 healthy children and 148 children with mesenteric lymphadenitis were retrospectively analyzed for mesenteric lymph node enlargement based on the ultrasonographic data.
Results:
The distribution of enlarged mesenteric lymph nodes was detected in the right lower quadrant (RLQ) in 46.3%, in the para-aortic areas in 19.2%, and in the left lower quadrant (LLQ) in 13.6% of the children. The clusters of lymph nodes between the two groups showed no significant difference in the distribution, age, L/W, longitudinal diameter or clusters, only the short diameter differed significantly between them.
Conclusion:
Enlarged mesenteric lymph nodes are present in many healthy children, which does not necessarily suggests any abnormalities. The mesenteric lymph nodes increase with the age until 6 years and then decrease. The lymph nodes with a short diameter larger than 8 mm may indicate the condition of mesenteric lymphadenitis.
