Pediatrics: cervical adenopathy in children.

Cervical adenopathies are common in children. The four categories, based on clinical findings are acute unilateral adenitis, acute bilateral adenitis, subacute (chronic) adenitis, and cervical node cancers. Most cases of acute pyogenic adenitis-both unilateral and bilateral-respond well to early antibiotic treatment. Penicillin is the drug of choice unless Staphylococcus aureus is thought to be the infecting organism. S aureus is trated with dicloxacillin or erythromycin. Subacute adenitis due to cat scratch fever usually resolves spontaneously. Nodes due to infection with atypical mycobacteria require excision. Because cervical node cancer is usually asymptomatic, excision and pathologic study should be done for any cervical node persistently enlarged without apparent reason.