Cervical Adenopathy in Children: A Rational use of Investigations/ Resources

It is not unusual to see a child with enlarged neck nodes and such nodes are very common in otherwise normal children. While the majority are benign and self-limiting (in acute enlargement) there is often a lingering concern that this a symptom of an underlying serious condition and that referral, investigation and perhaps biopsy or FNAC (fine needle aspiration cytology) are warranted.