Everyone has at least once encountered the appearance of a wen on the body. They can come in different sizes and form on any part of the body. There are cases when wen and lumps spread throughout the body. What is the reason for this phenomenon?
Rice. 1. Fats and bumps all over the body can be a sign of hereditary lipomatosis
Description of the disease
Atheroma is one of the relatively harmless tumors due to the fact that it does not transform into a malignant neoplasm.
However, there is a risk of significant increase in size, so medical attention is required in all cases. Teenage children are more likely to experience this problem. Boys and girls get sick about the same. The main reason why parents first turn to a surgeon is the presence of a visually noticeable tumor.
The atheroma itself is a small capsule filled with pasty contents. It is sebum, which, due to blockage of one or more glands, did not come out, but remained in the subcutaneous tissue.
Symptoms of atheroma in children
In 80-85% of cases, apart from the visual defect, children do not present any other complaints. Uncomplicated atheroma is characterized by:
- painlessness;
- mobility;
- elasticity upon palpation.
The skin over the surface of the tumor is smooth and does not fold. The clinical picture may change when the contents of the atheroma become inflamed against the background of the addition of bacterial flora. In this case, patients may note:
- pain when pressed;
- redness and increase in size of the tumor itself;
- local increase in body temperature.
If the above symptoms occur, you should immediately seek help.
This situation threatens the penetration of infection into nearby tissues and blood with the spread of microorganisms to distant areas of the body and can cause a deterioration in the general condition of the child. Atheromas occur in areas of the skin that are rich in sebaceous glands. Therefore, they especially often have the following localization:
- scalp;
- face and neck area;
- shoulder girdle, armpit area;
- back.
Neoplasms occur less frequently in the groin area and scrotum (in boys). In these areas they have the appearance of a skin growth and require differential diagnosis with other skin tumors.
When you shouldn’t delay visiting a doctor
Quite often, bumps on the chin, near the lips, along the spine, or in the groin are mistaken for warts or papillomas. Despite the stereotype that such growths, even on the pubic part, supposedly do not pose a significant danger, this is not the case.
In most cases, the prerequisite for a relatively painless papilloma to form in an unexpected place is a hormonal imbalance or infection. For many people, such growths are only an aesthetic drawback, especially if they form under the eye, on the cheekbone, under the eyebrow, or in the eyelid area.
But in clinical practice, cases are increasingly being recorded where people, ignoring such an anomaly, missed the initial stage of skin cancer. It is impossible to independently distinguish a benign formation, which is simply temporary, from a malignant tumor. Diagnosis should be carried out only by an experienced dermatologist who will examine the entire body, because only a professional can examine any abnormalities on the back of the head, labia, or recognize abnormalities on a healed suture.
Malignant tumors are relatively rare.
They can be divided into three broad categories:
- melanoma, which degenerates from ordinary moles;
- liposarcoma, which affects fat cells;
- lymphoma that occurs at the site of a lymph node.
Liposarcoma mainly affects the lower extremities, forming on the hips and under the knee.
The clinical picture is somewhat similar in all three cases. First, the patient feels a skin lump, which quickly increases in size. An alarming clue is also called the fact that the tumor is immobile or fused to the epidermis.
Another specific type of formation is hernia, which forms on the abdomen after surgery. The catalysts for the occurrence of a hernia are:
- postoperative scars;
- lifting unbearable weights.
Internal organs cannot cope with unnatural loads on them, which leads to their loss. To eliminate the pathology, surgical intervention will be required, healing after which, if medical recommendations are followed, occurs quite quickly.
You should not experiment with the use of traditional medicine recipes if the affected area is the area between the legs. Most often, the provocateurs of many small bumps, or one big one, are:
- viruses;
- bacteria;
- gland blockage;
- blockage of hair follicles.
Immediately after discovering an abnormal tumor on the penis after circumcision, or simply on the penis without external trauma, on a testicle, in the bikini area, or near the anus, you need to consult a doctor. Moreover, it does not matter at all what color the formation is: black with blood on the genitals or round brown on the anus.
Very rarely are cases recorded when a bruise first forms on the forearm, collarbone, foot, heel, and other parts of the body, and then hard edges are felt. This indicates that a foreign body, such as a splinter, got inside and was not pulled out in time.
Causes of atheroma in children
Atheromas in children occur due to a violation of the secretion of sebum by the corresponding glands.
When the excretory duct is blocked, the secretion of the gland has nowhere to go. It is secreted into the subcutaneous space, where a dense capsule is formed around it. Common causes of atheroma development in children are as follows:
- Using children's cosmetics (creams, ointments, moisturizing masks) in excessive quantities. Sometimes parents, in an effort to protect their child’s skin from harmful external factors, use cosmetic products uncontrollably. This leads to dysfunction of the sebaceous glands with blockage of their excretory ducts.
- Hormonal changes in the child's body. Infants and teenage children are traditionally at risk. It is during these periods that changes in the concentration of sex hormones occur. Against this background, acne appears, the function of the sebaceous glands is disrupted, and conditions are created for their blockage.
- Seborrhea. This is a dermatological disease that leads to dysfunction of the sebaceous glands in a certain area of the skin.
- Genetic predisposition or congenital structural features of the skin. Atheromas most often occur in children after 3 years of age. If neoplasms are detected in children immediately after birth, the doctor may assume the presence of problems with the sebaceous glands that developed in utero.
In addition, factors that increase the risk of developing atheromas are poor personal hygiene, metabolic disorders (obesity, diabetes) and frequent mechanical damage to the skin.
Adenoma behind the ear
A benign tumor, a parotid adenoma, often develops in the parotid region. The structure of the neoplasm resembles the salivary gland itself. The cause of the development of benign tumors of the salivary glands is the formation of altered glandular epithelium.
The neoplasm is enclosed in a capsule, has a soft-elastic consistency, and is not fused to the skin and surrounding tissues. The skin above the adenoma behind the ear is not changed. It is treated surgically. In order to undergo examination and treatment of benign tumors of the ear and parotid region, call the contact center of the Yusupov Hospital.
Diagnosis of atheroma in children
It is relatively easy to identify atheroma.
Even at the stage of the initial conversation with the patient or his parents, the surgeon assesses the general well-being of the child, collects anamnesis and analyzes complaints. When examining a neoplasm, the doctor pays attention to its size, location, pain, and the presence of redness. Before surgery, the surgeon prescribes a number of tests to comprehensively assess the child’s condition:
- general and biochemical blood test;
- general urine analysis;
- blood test for infections (HIV, syphilis, viral hepatitis B, C);
- ECG, fluorography.
The child is also examined by an anesthesiologist and pediatrician before the operation. A mandatory diagnostic method is histological examination of tumor tissue after its removal. At this stage, it is possible to determine whether it was an atheroma or a lipoma (a tumor similar in appearance).
Glomus tumor of the middle ear
Tympanic paraganglioma (glomus tumor of the middle ear) develops from glomus bodies, which are located on the medial wall or roof of the tympanic cavity, jugular - on the bulb of the jugular vein. Paraganglioma is a benign neoplasm, but mature forms of the tumor have infiltrating and locally destructive growth.
Due to the impossibility of total removal, a glomus tumor of the middle ear can pathologically spread to vital structures of the body (brain stem, internal carotid artery). It can destroy the walls of the temporal bone pyramid, penetrate the posterior cranial fossa and cause compression of the medulla oblongata. Glomus cells often affect vessels over a considerable distance, leading to various complications with a fatal outcome. Patients complain of a “pulsating” noise in the ear. During an objective examination behind the eardrum, the doctor sees a pulsating red mass. As the tumor grows, the following symptoms occur:
- Hearing impairment;
- Facial asymmetry;
- Dysphonia (speech disorder);
- Dysphagia (swallowing disorder).
The Yusupov Hospital has accumulated extensive experience in diagnosing and treating patients with glomus tumor of the middle ear. Otolaryngologists determine the degree of invasion of the glomus tumor of the middle ear into adjacent structures using computed and magnetic resonance imaging of the temporal bones with contrast, angiography and retrograde jugulography. Doctors make the final diagnosis based on the results of histological examination.
If the glomus tumor of the middle ear is widespread, angiography is mandatory. The study is necessary to confirm the vascular nature of the neoplasm, determine its size, location and sources of blood supply. This plays a role in the possibility of embolization, a minimally invasive procedure that is an alternative to surgery. The procedure is aimed at preventing blood supply to the damaged area, which helps to reduce the size of the tumor and achieve a good effect with further surgical removal of the identified tumor. Treatment consists of surgical removal of the glomus tumor of the middle ear. Total surgery is performed in the presence of a glomus tumor that does not spread beyond the middle ear. For subtotal (incomplete) removal of the tumor, and depending on the patient’s age, radiation therapy or stereotactic radiotherapy (gamma knife) is used.
Treatment of atheroma in children
The optimal method of treating atheroma in children is its surgical removal.
However, the age of the patient decides a lot here. Thus, most pediatric surgeons, in the absence of severe clinical symptoms, recommend a wait-and-see approach. Sometimes the swelling may resolve on its own. This is especially true for newborns and infants. In such cases, the development of the neoplasm is observed until the age of three, and if it persists, only then is it removed. Surgical intervention can be carried out traditionally using a scalpel or minimally invasively using a laser. In the first case, the surgeon excises the tumor with a capsule, which eliminates the risk of relapse. After this, cosmetic stitches are applied to the tissue to achieve the best aesthetic result.
Laser removal in children is used for small tumors. Using this technique, it is possible to avoid incisions and the formation of postoperative scars. In both cases, a comprehensive examination of the child is first carried out with the selection of the optimal treatment option.
In the postoperative period, the child may be prescribed the following groups of medications:
- painkillers;
- anti-inflammatory;
- antibacterial.
Drug therapy is aimed at eliminating discomfort and preventing infection of the postoperative wound.
Benign tumors of the ear
Benign tumors of the middle ear include hemangioma and various neurogenic neoplasms. Hemangiomas of the middle ear are manifested by the following symptoms:
- Decreased hearing;
- Ear congestion;
- Feeling of noise.
Often the first symptom of the disease is a slowly occurring paralysis of the facial muscles on the side where the hemangioma is located. For middle ear hemangioma, otolaryngologists usually perform abdominal surgery or widely remove the mastoid process.
Chemodectoma of the middle ear develops from glomus bodies, which are normally located at the bottom of the tympanic cavity, on the dome of the bulb of the internal jugular vein and in the temporal bone. They differ in structure from glomus bodies, which are located in other areas. Depending on the histological structure and the ratio of cell accumulations, there are 3 types of glomus tumors: adenoid-like, alveolar and angioma-like. According to the clinical course, limited and widespread forms of chemodectoma are distinguished.
Chemodectomas are observed at different ages and can be multiple in both ears. Sometimes neoplasms have a malignant course from the very beginning, despite the benign structure of the chemodectoma.
Chemodectomas, which are located in the tympanic cavity, in the initial period of the disease cause hearing loss and pulsating noise in the ear. At this time, the neoplasm appears through the eardrum. Then the tumor protrudes it and causes hyperemia (redness). Gradually, the neoplasm penetrates the external auditory canal and looks like a polyp. When you try to remove it, bleeding occurs. Sometimes patients report ear pain.
Chemodectomas that originate in the jugular vein bulb first destroy the dome of the jugular fossa and spread into the tympanic cavity. As the tumor increases and bone destruction occurs, symptoms of damage to the VII-XII pairs of cranial nerves develop. Patients are bothered by noise in the ear, and otoscopic changes occur. Chemodectomas can grow into the cranial cavity.
Diagnosis of chemodectoma is carried out using radiography of the jugular fossa, pyramid of the temporal bone, attic-antral region, mastoid process. X-ray examination includes radiography of the temporal bone in three main projections and tomography in direct and lateral projections.
Chemodect treatment is surgical. Small tumors that do not destroy the eardrum are removed or exposed to ultra-low temperatures. Tumors that have spread to the external auditory canal, mastoid process, or antrum are also subject to surgical treatment. Otolaryngologists perform operations of varying scope - from tympanotomy to extended radical surgical interventions on the ear. Sometimes cryotherapy is used. For tumors that destroy the pyramid and spread into the cranial cavity, external gamma irradiation is performed, which often causes growth arrest or a decrease in chemodectoma.
Questions
- Which doctor treats atheroma in children?
A pediatric surgeon is involved in identifying and treating atheroma in children. - Is it possible to cure atheroma without surgery?
Sometimes in the early stages of the disease the surgeon chooses a wait-and-see approach. In 20-35% of cases, atheroma can resolve on its own. However, if the capsule is formed and the tumor is large, it will not be possible to do without surgical intervention. - How dangerous is atheroma in childhood?
Atheroma is a relatively safe tumor. It does not become malignant, rarely becomes complicated and is not accompanied by the development of permanent defects. However, this does not eliminate the need to consult a pediatric surgeon. Only a doctor can establish the correct diagnosis and select treatment. In addition, atheroma can sometimes become inflamed due to the addition of bacterial flora and cause a deterioration in the child’s well-being. - Is it possible to play sports after surgery?
After surgical removal of atheroma, it is recommended to refrain from active activities for 2-3 weeks. This will allow the tissues to fully heal and recover.
Osteoma in the ear
Osteoma in the ear (exostosis, osteophyte) develops mainly from the compact layer of the posterior wall of the bony part of the external auditory canal. Much less often, neoplasms are found on the lower and upper walls of this section. Endophytic osteomas penetrate into the mastoid process. Osteoma is a benign tumor that grows rather slowly.
Osteoma has the appearance of a round formation, which is covered with a skin layer, very dense when palpated with a Vojacek probe. It is treated surgically. The operation is performed after the tumor has grown to medium size. In this case, removing the tumor is technically as convenient as possible. If the tumor is small, there is a risk of not completely removing the pathological tissue. If the osteoma is large, it is possible to capture a significant part of the healthy bone tissue during surgery. This will cause a large bone defect.