What Is Mediastinal Lymphadenopathy?

Mediastinal lymphadenopathy is mostly secondary to other organ diseases and may be asymptomatic, but enlarged lymph nodes can compress the esophagus and cause difficulty in swallowing, and can also compress the trachea to cause difficulty in breathing. Such as compression of the superior vena cava can produce superior vena cava obstruction syndrome, the patient has swelling of the head, face and upper chest. Symptoms of mediastinal compression are mostly malignant tumors. A small number of tuberculous mediastinal lymph nodes may enlarge the mediastinal granuloma or cause extensive fibrosis, which may also cause the superior vena cava obstruction syndrome.

Basic Information

Visiting department

Oncology

Common causes

Secondary to other organ diseases

Common symptoms

Difficulty swallowing, difficulty breathing, swelling of the head, face, and upper chest

Causes of mediastinal lymphadenopathy

There are many causes of mediastinal lymphadenopathy. Common diseases include sarcoidosis, lymph tuberculosis, chronic inflammation of lymph nodes, lymphoma, and metastatic lymph nodes.

Clinical manifestations of mediastinal lymphadenopathy

There are no special symptoms, but the enlarged lymph nodes can compress the esophagus and cause difficulty in swallowing, and it can also compress the trachea and cause difficulty in breathing. Such as compression of the superior vena cava can produce superior vena cava obstruction syndrome, the patient has swelling of the head, face and upper chest. Symptoms of mediastinal compression are mostly malignant tumors. A small number of tuberculous mediastinal lymph nodes may enlarge the mediastinal granuloma or cause extensive fibrosis, which may also cause the superior vena cava obstruction syndrome. Patients with superior vena cava syndrome may experience facial and upper body edema, chest tightness, difficulty breathing, unable to lie flat, impaired blood circulation, reduced skin elasticity, and easily cause skin infections.

Mediastinal lymphadenopathy

CT scan is the preferred method to diagnose mediastinal lymphadenopathy. Enhanced CT scan combined with CT scans, clinical manifestations, and laboratory tests are of great significance in the diagnosis of the cause of mediastinal lymphadenopathy.

Diagnosis of mediastinal lymphadenopathy

The size of normal mediastinal lymph nodes is based on chest CT scan and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) diagnosis of mediastinal lymphadenopathy. With reference to the American Thoracic Association's mediastinal lymph node zoning method, the length, width, and thickness of the largest lymph node in each mediastinal region were obtained by measuring multiple normal adult corpses. The maximum average value of each diameter was used as the evaluation standard for lymph node enlargement in each mediastinal region: The longest diameter standards of the largest lymph nodes in the mediastinal regions were 10, 12, 15, and 25mm, the wide diameter standards were 10 and 13mm, and the thick diameter standards were 8mm in each region.

Clinically, pathological analysis is the gold standard for diagnosing diseases, and the only way to obtain pathological specimens from the mediastinum is through mediastinoscopy. Therefore, mediastinoscopy is the gold standard for the diagnosis of mediastinal masses.

Treatment of mediastinal lymphadenopathy

There are many causes of this disease. Common diseases include sarcoidosis, lymph tuberculosis, chronic inflammation of lymph nodes, lymphoma, and metastatic lymph nodes. There are great differences in treatment due to different causes. Therefore, the mediastinal lymphadenopathy needs to be identified, and symptomatic treatment after diagnosis.