Mr ENYI OFO
Consultant ENT, Head & Neck, Thyroid and Parathyroid Surgeon
BSc (Hons) MBBS (Lond) DO-HNS FRCS (ORL-NHS) PhD
WHAT IS A NECK LUMP?
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Any swelling in the neck felt by a patient is commonly referred to as a ‘neck lump’. Most neck lumps are usually benign, however they can also be the sign of a serious underlying condition, especially in patients who have a history of smoking, alcohol excess, radiation exposure, or a family history of thyroid cancer or lymphoma.
There are several structures found within the neck such as lymph nodes, salivary glands, cysts, fatty tissue, thyroid gland and blood vessels all of which may become enlarged. As a general rule, if a neck lump if felt after a throat infection or cold, it is usually an enlarged lymph node that should reduce in size over a few days. A neck lump that persists for more than a couple of weeks, especially if painless and appears suddenly, without a pre-existing infective process, requires urgent assessment by a head and neck specialist.
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Mr Ofo also offers a one stop rapid diagnostic thyroid and neck lump clinic at the New Victoria Hospital on Tuesday evenings, whereby patients with neck lumps will have a comprehensive clinical assessment by Mr Ofo, followed by an ultrasound scan of the neck +/- biopsy by a dedicated head and neck radiologist, and on the spot reporting of the biopsy specimen by a dedicated head and neck pathologist.
The biopsy result is communicated to patients by Mr Ofo at the same consultation, alleviating the anxiety of waiting for a diagnosis, or needing additional clinic consultations to discuss biopsy results. Further investigations and treatment will be dependent on the diagnosis, and you will be guided all the way by Mr Ofo who has extensive knowledge and experience in managing head & neck and thyroid lumps.