The term “lymph nodes” is both familiar and unfamiliar to most people. We should often hear its name during medical checkups, but few people can explain what exactly is going on with “lymph nodes”. Today we will talk about the “lymph nodes” of those things.
The lymphatic system is responsible for defending against “invaders”
To understand the lymph nodes, we need to know what the role of the entire lymphatic system. There are two very complex pipeline systems in the human body, one is the vascular system responsible for the transport of blood; the other is the lymphatic system for the complex transport of lymphatic fluid. The vascular system is mainly responsible for transporting nutrients to the various organs in the body, and then the waste materials do not want to transport away. The lymphatic system is mainly responsible for the deployment of lymphatic fluid within the body. The lymphatic fluid contains a large number of “soldiers” (immune cells, various antibodies) that are responsible for defending against “invaders”, and the lymph nodes are the transit points for the transport routes of this lymphatic system.
Lymph nodes are the “beacons” of the body’s defense system
There are about hundreds of lymph nodes throughout the body, partly in superficial areas, such as under the skin of the neck, armpits and groin (about 5 mm in size when normal and cannot be touched directly), and partly deep in the chest and abdominal cavity near the organs.
In the huge lymphatic system of the human body, lymph nodes are grassroots combat units, small in size and weak in individual strength. There are other larger units, such as the tonsils, which have many similarities to lymph nodes, but are more complex in structure and function. The main duty of each lymph node is to dispatch the adjacent “soldiers” for security alert, and the incoming and outgoing soldiers can also rest and recuperate here.
When there is an abnormal situation, such as an inflammatory reaction in the adjacent tissues, the “soldiers” who went to defend the enemy are injured or transported back to the lymph nodes with “invaders”, the lymph nodes will operate urgently to kill the pathogens transported in and dispatch more The lymph nodes will then urgently function to kill as many pathogens as possible and dispatch more “soldiers” to fight. At the same time, the lymph nodes send out “communication soldiers” to ask for help and alert other lymph nodes nearby. In this case, the lymph nodes will increase significantly in size, stimulating the nearby nerves to produce pain and alerting the whole body. From the multiple functions described above, lymph nodes are like the “beacon” on the Great Wall.
When malignant tumors come, the lymph nodes are often unable to distinguish them, while if there is a special “mutant” (malignant tumor) in the human body, the lymph nodes are often unable to recognize it and treat the incoming malignant tumor cells as their own brothers, fattening them up and then transporting them to the nearby lymph nodes. The enlargement of lymph nodes at this time is often more obvious than during the “inflammation” period, and often without pain. That is, although the “beacon” has been occupied by the enemy, it still warns us with its swollen body.
There are many causes of swollen lymph nodes and possible infections in the vicinity, and superficial lymph nodes are easily palpable and can be detected at an early stage. For example, when there is an infection in various parts of the upper respiratory tract, swollen lymph nodes of 1-2 cm often appear in the neck, which are mostly painful in the acute phase and gradually shrink after the respiratory tract infection subsides. If there is a clear focus of infection present in the vicinity, enlargement of lymph nodes is a common phenomenon and active treatment of the infected focus is sufficient.
To cut or not to cut, multiple considerations are needed
Pathological examination after lymph node removal is the only examination method that can clarify the nature of lymph nodes. When enlarged lymph nodes are found in the neck or other locations, it is necessary to consider the size of lymph nodes, the number of lymph nodes, the location and time of appearance, the adjacent tissues and whether there is any abnormality in the general condition.
In these two cases, lymph node removal should be considered
In the following cases, we need to be vigilant and may need to consider removing the lymph nodes for pathological examination to clarify the “good or bad”.
1. Rapidly enlarging lymph nodes, no clear foci of infection in the vicinity, no obvious pain in the lymph nodes, and no effect of anti-inflammatory/anti-tuberculosis treatment.
2. Superficial lymph nodes in multiple places throughout the body, even deep lymph nodes in the chest and abdomen are found to be enlarged; lymph nodes with abnormal morphology and fever, abnormal hematological examination, and symptoms of organ compression.
In these two cases, do not cut lymph nodes easily
If the lymph nodes are enlarged along with the following conditions, it is prudent to choose to remove the lymph nodes in addition to biopsy and should not be done lightly
1. The examination of related tuberculosis suggests that active tuberculosis may exist. In case of lymph node tuberculosis, the incision after removal of lymph nodes has the risk of long-term ulceration without healing.
2. If a new organism of unknown nature is found in the vicinity of the enlarged lymph node, the new organism should first be actively examined by appropriate imaging or pathology, rather than rashly going ahead and having the lymph node removed. When examining enlarged lymph nodes, the adjacent tissues and organs should also be examined at the same time, rather than focusing only on the lymph nodes.
Are there any risks of lymph node dissection
The surgical risk of superficial lymph node dissection is related to the size of the lymph node, its specific location, and whether it is adjacent to a vital organ. If there is no complex vascular or nerve tissue surrounding that lymph node, the main problem posed by the surgery is a scar on the skin after the procedure.
The surgeons who perform the surgery must all be skilled in the anatomy of the area and have the instruments and techniques in place to deal with repair after an accidental injury. For example, the lymph nodes near the angle of the jaw are close to the facial nerve, and surgery that damages the facial nerve can lead to facial paralysis.
Lymph nodes are sometimes complex, and this article only briefly introduces the more common ones. We should pay more attention to the signals of this “beacon”, and find out the problem as soon as possible to seek medical consultation from the relevant departments for early examination and treatment.