How is abdominal mass diagnosed?

When an abdominal mass occurs, you first need to go to the hospital for correct examination and treatment in time so that the cause can be determined. Common problems such as gallbladder or obstruction will manifest as symptoms of this mass, which is common in mesenteric lymph node tuberculosis.

1. The location of the abdominal mass: Determining the location of the mass can help understand its source. A lump in a certain part of the body mostly originates from the internal organs in that part. For example, masses in the right upper abdomen often originate from the liver, gallbladder, or hepatic flexure colon. The location of pedunculated masses or masses in the mesentery or greater omentum is variable. A large mass in the intestinal distribution area, if accompanied by obstruction, may be a tumor in that section of the intestine. If there is no obstruction, it usually originates from the mesentery, omentum or retroperitoneal organs. Multiple and scattered lesions are common in mesenteric lymph node tuberculosis, peritoneal tuberculosis or abdominal metastatic cancer.

2. The size of the mass: A smaller mass felt around the navel may be an enlarged mesenteric lymph node. Huge lumps often occur in organs such as the liver, spleen, pancreas, kidneys, ovaries and uterus, with cysts being the most common. If the size of the mass varies or even disappears, it may be caused by an inflated intestinal curve. The shape of the mass is a round mass with a smooth surface, most of which are cysts. Irregular shapes, rough and hard surfaces are mostly malignant tumors, inflammatory tumors or tuberculosis masses. Cord-like or tubular tumors that change shape over a short period of time may be ascariasis or intussusception. An oval mass was felt in the right upper abdomen, which was smooth and might be the gallbladder or kidney. The splenic notch can be felt in an enlarged spleen.

3. Hardness and texture of the lump. If the lump is hard, it is often seen in tumors, inflammatory or tuberculous masses, such as lumps formed by gastric cancer, liver cancer and tuberculous peritonitis. If the lump is cystic, the texture of the lump is soft, which is more common in cysts. Tenderness Inflammatory masses are obviously tender. If there is a mass in the right lower abdomen with obvious tenderness, it is mostly a periappendiceal abscess. An enlarged liver with obvious tenderness may be a liver abscess. Mobility: If the mass moves up and down with breathing, it may be a tumor of the liver, spleen, kidney, stomach, or these organs. Tumors in the gallbladder and transverse colon may also move up and down with breathing. If the mass can be moved manually, it may come from the stomach, intestine, or mesentery. Tumors that move over a wide range and distance are mostly pedunculated tumors, such as wandering spleen, wandering kidney, etc. Peritoneal tumors and local inflammatory masses generally do not move.