WGU D443 STUDY FOR HESI EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Lymphadenopathy (adenopathy) - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅enlarged lymph node(s)
Lymphadenitis - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅inflamed and enlarged lymph node(s)
Lymphangitis - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅inflammation of the lymphatics that drain an area of infection;
tender erythematous streaks extend proximally from the infected area; regional nodes may also be
tender; may appear as red streaks on overlying skin.
Lymphedema - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅edematous swelling due to excess accumulation of lymph fluid in
tissues caused by inadequate lymph drainage
Lymphangioma - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅congenital malformation of dilated lymphatics
Shotty - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅small non-tender nodes that feel like BBs or buckshot under the skin;
generally of no clinical consequence & usually represent enlargement of the lymph nodes following viral
infection. However, nodes in the epitrochlear or supraclavicular regions require additional evaluation.
Fluctuant - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅wavelike motion that is felt when the node is palpated; feel like they
contain fluid--suggest suppuration from infection.
Matted - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅group of nodes that feel connected and seem to move as a unit; lymph
nodes that are enlarged & juxtaposed so that they feel like a large mass rather than discrete nodes.
Reminders about nodes..... - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅A hard, fixed, painless node suggests a malignant
process.
• The more tender a node, the more likely it is an inflammatory process.
• Nodes do not pulsate; arteries do.
• A palpable supraclavicular node on the left (Virchow node) is a significant clue to thoracic or
abdominal malignancy.
, • Slow nodal enlargement over weeks and months suggests a benign process; rapid enlargement
without signs of inflammation suggests malignancy.
Transilluminate a mass that is found..... - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅nodes do not, and fluid-filled cysts do.
With bacterial infection, nodes may become..... - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅...warm or tender to the touch,
matted, and much less discrete, particularly if the infection persists.
The supraclavicular node that warns of malignancy - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅lies anterior to the
sternocleidomastoid muscle.
In tuberculosis, the lymph nodes are... - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅often felt in the cervical chains, are
usually body temp, soft, matted, and not tender or painful.
Lymphadenopathy that is widespread, involving several lymph node regions, indicates - CORRECT
ANSWER✅✅systemic disease or disorder.
Lymph nodes to which malignancy has spread... - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅vary greatly in size, from tiny to
many centimeters in diameter, sometimes discrete, sometimes matted and firmly fixed to underlying
tissue, tend to be harder than expected. Involvement is often asymmetric; contralateral nodes in similar
locations may not be palpable.
Fixation of the nodes to underlying tissue is most common in - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅metastatic cancer
but can also occur with chronic inflammation.
DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS Conditions Simulating Lymph Node Enlargement - CORRECT
ANSWER✅✅Lymphangioma (transilluminates; hemangiomas do not)
• Cystic hygroma (thin-walled, contains clear lymph fluid)
• Hemangioma (tends to feel spongy; appears reddish blue, with color depending on size and extent of
blood vessel involvement; Valsalva maneuver may enlarge the mass)
• Branchial cleft cyst (sometimes accompanied by a tiny orifice in the neck along the lower third of the
anteromedial border of the sternocleidomastoid muscle between the muscle and the overlying skin;
may fluctuate in size when inflamed)
Lymphadenopathy (adenopathy) - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅enlarged lymph node(s)
Lymphadenitis - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅inflamed and enlarged lymph node(s)
Lymphangitis - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅inflammation of the lymphatics that drain an area of infection;
tender erythematous streaks extend proximally from the infected area; regional nodes may also be
tender; may appear as red streaks on overlying skin.
Lymphedema - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅edematous swelling due to excess accumulation of lymph fluid in
tissues caused by inadequate lymph drainage
Lymphangioma - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅congenital malformation of dilated lymphatics
Shotty - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅small non-tender nodes that feel like BBs or buckshot under the skin;
generally of no clinical consequence & usually represent enlargement of the lymph nodes following viral
infection. However, nodes in the epitrochlear or supraclavicular regions require additional evaluation.
Fluctuant - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅wavelike motion that is felt when the node is palpated; feel like they
contain fluid--suggest suppuration from infection.
Matted - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅group of nodes that feel connected and seem to move as a unit; lymph
nodes that are enlarged & juxtaposed so that they feel like a large mass rather than discrete nodes.
Reminders about nodes..... - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅A hard, fixed, painless node suggests a malignant
process.
• The more tender a node, the more likely it is an inflammatory process.
• Nodes do not pulsate; arteries do.
• A palpable supraclavicular node on the left (Virchow node) is a significant clue to thoracic or
abdominal malignancy.
, • Slow nodal enlargement over weeks and months suggests a benign process; rapid enlargement
without signs of inflammation suggests malignancy.
Transilluminate a mass that is found..... - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅nodes do not, and fluid-filled cysts do.
With bacterial infection, nodes may become..... - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅...warm or tender to the touch,
matted, and much less discrete, particularly if the infection persists.
The supraclavicular node that warns of malignancy - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅lies anterior to the
sternocleidomastoid muscle.
In tuberculosis, the lymph nodes are... - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅often felt in the cervical chains, are
usually body temp, soft, matted, and not tender or painful.
Lymphadenopathy that is widespread, involving several lymph node regions, indicates - CORRECT
ANSWER✅✅systemic disease or disorder.
Lymph nodes to which malignancy has spread... - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅vary greatly in size, from tiny to
many centimeters in diameter, sometimes discrete, sometimes matted and firmly fixed to underlying
tissue, tend to be harder than expected. Involvement is often asymmetric; contralateral nodes in similar
locations may not be palpable.
Fixation of the nodes to underlying tissue is most common in - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅metastatic cancer
but can also occur with chronic inflammation.
DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS Conditions Simulating Lymph Node Enlargement - CORRECT
ANSWER✅✅Lymphangioma (transilluminates; hemangiomas do not)
• Cystic hygroma (thin-walled, contains clear lymph fluid)
• Hemangioma (tends to feel spongy; appears reddish blue, with color depending on size and extent of
blood vessel involvement; Valsalva maneuver may enlarge the mass)
• Branchial cleft cyst (sometimes accompanied by a tiny orifice in the neck along the lower third of the
anteromedial border of the sternocleidomastoid muscle between the muscle and the overlying skin;
may fluctuate in size when inflamed)
