Enlarged mesenteric lymph nodes in children: a clinical analysis with ultrasonography and the implications / 南方医科大学学报

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To compare the enlarged mesenteric lymph nodes in healthy children with those children with mesenteric lymphadenitis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>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.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>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.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>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.</p>