Neck Swelling with Petite History and Austere Presentation: Infective or Metastatic???

Neck swellings have become one of the most common swelling in the ENT OPD. It ranges from congenital mass to cancerous growth with varied symptomatology from dysphagia to dyspnoea. Careful history should be obtained, thorough physical examination should be performedand keeping the differentials in mind, necessary cytological and radiological investigations must be acquired. Certain factors have to be considered during history: patient’s age, location, size, and duration of the swellingas these are important pieces of information. Inflammatory/ infectious causes of neck masses are common in young adults whileNeoplasms are more likely in older adults. Congenital masses dwindle between the two extremes. Panendoscopy and possible excisional biopsy should be obtained whenever a neck mass persists beyond four to six weeks which in a way completes the diagnostic protocols.