Nodule (medicine)

Nodule
Nodule
Specialty	Pathology

In medicine, nodules are small firm lumps, usually greater than 1 cm in diameter.^[1]^[2] If filled with fluid they are referred to as cysts.^[2] Smaller (less than 0.5 cm) raised soft tissue bumps may be termed papules.^[3]

The evaluation of a skin nodule includes a description of its appearance, its location, how it feels to touch and any associated symptoms which may give clues to an underlying medical condition.^[4]

Nodules in skin include dermatofibroma^[5] and pyogenic granuloma.^[6] Nodules may form on tendons and muscles in response to injury,^[7] and are frequently found on vocal cords.^[8] They may occur in organs such as the lung,^[9] or thyroid,^[10] or be a sign in other medical conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis.^[11]

Characteristics

Nodules are small firm lumps usually greater than 1 cm in diameter, found in skin and other organs.^[1]^[2] If filled with fluid they are usually softer and referred to as cysts.^[2] Smaller (less than 0.5 cm) raised soft tissue bumps may be termed papules.^[3]

Evaluation

The evaluation of a skin nodule includes a description of its appearance, its location, how it feels to touch and any associated symptoms which may give clues to an underlying medical condition.^[4]

Often discovered unintentionally on a chest x-ray, a single nodule in the lung requires assessment to exclude cancer.^[9]

Conditions

Nodules may form on tendons and muscles in response to injury,^[7] and are frequently found on vocal cords,^[8] They occur in conditions including endometriosis,^[12] neurofibromatosis,^[6] and in rheumatoid arthritis.^[11] They may also feature in Kaposi's sarcoma^[13] and gonorrhea.^[14]

Other examples

Dermatofibroma^[5]
CT (L) and ultrasound (R) of thyroid colloid nodule with calcification^[15]^[10]
Lung nodule^[16]
Merkel cell carcinoma^[6]
Pyogenic granuloma^[6]
Lipoma^[6]

References

^ ^a ^b Mosby (2013). Mosby's Medical Dictionary - E-Book. Elsevier. pp. 1235–1236. ISBN 978-0-323-11258-1.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Oakley, Amanda. "Terminology in dermatology | DermNet NZ". dermnetnz.org. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
^ ^a ^b Potter, Patricia A.; Perry, Anne Griffin; Stockert, Patricia; Hall, Amy (2014-03-25). Essentials for Nursing Practice - E-Book. Elsevier Health Sciences. ISBN 978-0-323-18881-4.
^ ^a ^b Evangelisto, Amy; Werth, Victoria; Schumacher, H. Ralph (October 2006). "What is that nodule? A diagnostic approach to evaluating subcutaneous and cutaneous nodules". Journal of Clinical Rheumatology: Practical Reports on Rheumatic & Musculoskeletal Diseases. 12 (5): 230–240. doi:10.1097/01.rhu.0000240034.72958.2f. ISSN 1076-1608. PMID 17023809. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
^ ^a ^b Linton, Christina P. (March 2011). "Essential Morphologic Terms and Definitions". Journal of the Dermatology Nurses' Association. 3 (2): 102–103. doi:10.1097/JDN.0b013e318211c6f0. ISSN 1945-760X. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Dermal and subcutaneous lesions | DermNet NZ". dermnetnz.org. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
^ ^a ^b Ashton-Miller, James A. (11 April 1999). "III: Workshop Papers". Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders: Report, Workshop Summary, and Workshop Papers. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press. Response of Muscle and Tendon to Injury and Overuse. ISBN 0-309-06397-3. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
^ ^a ^b "BRITISH VOICE ASSOCIATION : Vocal nodules". www.britishvoiceassociation.org.uk. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
^ ^a ^b Kikano, George E.; Fabien, Andre; Schilz, Robert (15 December 2015). "Evaluation of the Solitary Pulmonary Nodule". American Family Physician. 92 (12): 1084–1091. ISSN 0002-838X. PMID 26760594. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
^ ^a ^b Britton, K. E.; Gilday, David L.; Maisey, Michael (2013-12-11). Clinical Nuclear Medicine. Springer. ISBN 978-1-4899-3358-4.
^ ^a ^b "Rheumatoid nodules in rheumatoid arthritis (RA)". NRAS. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
^ Nisenblat V, Bossuyt PM, Farquhar C, Johnson N, Hull ML (February 2016). "Imaging modalities for the non-invasive diagnosis of endometriosis". The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2016 (2): CD009591. doi:10.1002/14651858.cd009591.pub2. PMC 7100540. PMID 26919512. painful palpable nodules
^ Massi, Daniela; Luzar, Boštjan; Alos, Llucia (2016). "15. Common skin tumours of the head and neck". In Cardesa, Antonio; Slootweg, Pieter J.; Gale, Nina; Franchi, Alessandro (eds.). Pathology of the Head and Neck. Springer. p. 737. ISBN 978-3-662-49670-1.
^ Berg, Dale; Worzala, Katherine (2006). "3. Female genitourinary examination". Atlas of Adult Physical Diagnosis. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. p. 55. ISBN 978-0-7817-4190-3.
^ "New York Thyroid Center: Thyroid Nodules". Archived from the original on 2010-09-17.
^ Ost, David; Fein, Alan M.; Feinsilver, Steven H. (June 2003). "Clinical practice. The solitary pulmonary nodule". New England Journal of Medicine. 348 (25): 2535–42. doi:10.1056/NEJMcp012290. PMID 12815140.

External links

Diseases Database (DDB): 29379

[Mosbys2013p1299-1] Mosby (2013). Mosby's Medical Dictionary - E-Book. Elsevier. pp. 1235–1236. ISBN 978-0-323-11258-1.

[DermnetNZ-2] Oakley, Amanda. "Terminology in dermatology | DermNet NZ". dermnetnz.org. Retrieved 13 January 2021.

[Potter-3] Potter, Patricia A.; Perry, Anne Griffin; Stockert, Patricia; Hall, Amy (2014-03-25). Essentials for Nursing Practice - E-Book. Elsevier Health Sciences. ISBN 978-0-323-18881-4.

[Evan2006-4] Evangelisto, Amy; Werth, Victoria; Schumacher, H. Ralph (October 2006). "What is that nodule? A diagnostic approach to evaluating subcutaneous and cutaneous nodules". Journal of Clinical Rheumatology: Practical Reports on Rheumatic & Musculoskeletal Diseases. 12 (5): 230–240. doi:10.1097/01.rhu.0000240034.72958.2f. ISSN 1076-1608. PMID 17023809. Retrieved 14 January 2021.

[Linton-5] Linton, Christina P. (March 2011). "Essential Morphologic Terms and Definitions". Journal of the Dermatology Nurses' Association. 3 (2): 102–103. doi:10.1097/JDN.0b013e318211c6f0. ISSN 1945-760X. Retrieved 13 January 2021.

[Derm1-6] "Dermal and subcutaneous lesions | DermNet NZ". dermnetnz.org. Retrieved 13 January 2021.

[Ashton-Miller-7] Ashton-Miller, James A. (11 April 1999). "III: Workshop Papers". Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders: Report, Workshop Summary, and Workshop Papers. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press. Response of Muscle and Tendon to Injury and Overuse. ISBN 0-309-06397-3. Retrieved 13 January 2021.

[Voice-8] "BRITISH VOICE ASSOCIATION : Vocal nodules". www.britishvoiceassociation.org.uk. Retrieved 13 January 2021.

[Kikano-9] Kikano, George E.; Fabien, Andre; Schilz, Robert (15 December 2015). "Evaluation of the Solitary Pulmonary Nodule". American Family Physician. 92 (12): 1084–1091. ISSN 0002-838X. PMID 26760594. Retrieved 14 January 2021.

[Britton-10] Britton, K. E.; Gilday, David L.; Maisey, Michael (2013-12-11). Clinical Nuclear Medicine. Springer. ISBN 978-1-4899-3358-4.

[NRAS-11] "Rheumatoid nodules in rheumatoid arthritis (RA)". NRAS. Retrieved 13 January 2021.

[Nisenblat2016ppn-12] Nisenblat V, Bossuyt PM, Farquhar C, Johnson N, Hull ML (February 2016). "Imaging modalities for the non-invasive diagnosis of endometriosis". The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2016 (2): CD009591. doi:10.1002/14651858.cd009591.pub2. PMC 7100540. PMID 26919512. painful palpable nodules

[Massi2016-13] Massi, Daniela; Luzar, Boštjan; Alos, Llucia (2016). "15. Common skin tumours of the head and neck". In Cardesa, Antonio; Slootweg, Pieter J.; Gale, Nina; Franchi, Alessandro (eds.). Pathology of the Head and Neck. Springer. p. 737. ISBN 978-3-662-49670-1.

[Berg-14] Berg, Dale; Worzala, Katherine (2006). "3. Female genitourinary examination". Atlas of Adult Physical Diagnosis. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. p. 55. ISBN 978-0-7817-4190-3.

[urlNew_York_Thyroid_Center:_Thyroid_Nodules-15] "New York Thyroid Center: Thyroid Nodules". Archived from the original on 2010-09-17.

[NEJM-cp-16] Ost, David; Fein, Alan M.; Feinsilver, Steven H. (June 2003). "Clinical practice. The solitary pulmonary nodule". New England Journal of Medicine. 348 (25): 2535–42. doi:10.1056/NEJMcp012290. PMID 12815140.

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