Treatment

Lymph Node Removal

Key Points About Lymph Node Removal

Lymph node removal is defined as the removal of one or more of your child’s lymph nodes so the doctors can diagnose or treat disease.
Doctors make a small surgical opening in the neck and take out the lymph node.
Results from examining the lymph node take a week or two.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is lymph node removal?

Lymph node removal is when a lymph node that looks different or larger than normal – a condition called lymphadenopathy (LIM-fah-den-OP-ath-ee) – is removed.

Lymph nodes are small, bean-like structures in your child’s neck and elsewhere in the body. They function as part of the immune system. An enlarged or abnormal lymph node can signal disease. The doctor removes the lymph node and sends it for a lymph node biopsy. A special doctor called a pathologist looks at the cells of the lymph node under a microscope to look for clues that an infection, inflammation or tumor are present.

What are the benefits of lymph node removal?

What are the risks of lymph node removal?

What happens before a lymph node removal?

What happens during a lymph node removal?

Lymph node removal takes place in a hospital operating room with your child asleep under general anesthesia or relaxed with conscious sedation medicine. The team may use imaging to guide them to the lymph node.

The doctor makes a small opening in your child’s neck.
They clip the blood and lymph vessels supplying the lymph node.
They carefully remove the abnormal lymph node so it is not damaged to prevent spreading disease and so it can be examined.