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Atheroma on the arm, shoulder and fingers

 
, medical expert
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
 
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Benign cysts of the upper limbs predominate over malignant neoplasms in this part of the body, and atheroma on the arm belongs to the category of relatively safe subcutaneous tumors. In dermatological and surgical practice, the lipoma on the hand is considered to be more frequent, atheroma is diagnosed extremely rarely, this is explained by the fact that the hands have few sebaceous glands, respectively, they can not be a fertile soil for the development of subcutaneous cysts of this kind.

Atheroma is a cystic tumor, mostly of a secondary nature - the so-called retinal follicular cyst of sebaceous glands. True atheroma is less likely, mainly in newborns and children up to 2 years of age. To form atheroma, the following conditions or provoking factors must be present:

  • Presence of sebaceous glands in a certain area of the body.
  • Increased secretion of sebaceous glands.
  • The preferred zone of location is the hairy part (the greasy hair device).
  • Accumulation of secretion in the outflow duct.
  • Obturation of the duct.
  • Cyst inclinations to inflammation, suppuration.
  • The presence of excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis).
  • Non-compliance with personal hygiene.

Atheroma on the arm may be either a consequence of unpeached acne, or a diagnostic error when the subcutaneous follicular cyst is confused with fibroma, hygroma, senile keratoma, folliculitis, or a lipoma. If nevertheless convexity, the subcutaneous tumor of the hand is diagnosed as an atheroma, it is removed by an operative route. Self healing, autopsy of festering atheroma is also possible, but it is not considered a complete cure, since under the skin, a part of the capsule of the cyst remains in the duct, and there is a risk of relapse, respectively. Thus, since an independent involution of the atheroma on the arm is impossible, it should be diagnosed in a timely manner, differentiated from benign skin tumors similar in symptomatology and removed.

trusted-source[1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6]

Atheroma on shoulder

Atheroma is a typical cystic formation of the sebaceous glands. Accordingly, it can be formed on all parts of the body where there are alveolar sebaceous glands. The density of glandulae sebaseae on the skin is different, there are so-called seborrheic zones where the number of glands is large. These are all the hairy areas of the body - the head, inguinal zone, ears, chest, back between the shoulder blades, partially the shoulder area. Atheroma on the shoulder is most common in males, especially in those who suffer from hyperhidrosis (increased sweating) and hypertrichosis (increased hair growth on the body). The etiological factors contributing to the development of sebaceous cysts in the shoulder region are associated with heredity, metabolic disorders and dysfunction of the hormonal system. The work of glandulae sebaseae is due to the genetic "program", a poet quite often atheromas in the upper half of the body are found in many members of the same family. The hormonal background also plays an important role in the formation of subcutaneous cysts, especially if the level of androgens is increased, and this fact explains the greater spread of retention lesions on the shoulders of men.

Atheroma on the shoulder can be of two kinds - true - congenital or retentional, associated with hypersecretion of the sebaceous glands and obturation of the gland duct. The first species is considered to be non-cloidal cysts and is often called steatomas formed from epidermal cells, retention atheromas (secondary cysts) are a consequence of the gradual accumulation of the secretion of the sebaceous gland in the duct and its occlusion. It should be noted that secondary atheroma on the shoulder can be triggered by self-removal, squeezing out simple acne in this zone, when a part of the rod remains and covers the outgoing opening.

Clinical manifestations of atheroma are non-specific, it can be determined visually when the cyst increases and causes uncomfortable sensations, as well as atheroma is prone to inflammation, infection and suppuration. In such cases, it shows all the characteristic signs of the local inflammatory process - puffiness in the cyst zone, skin flushing, obvious symptoms of the abscess (white dot on top of the cyst), possibly a rise in body temperature. If several aterms are formed on the shoulder at once, and this is typical for male patients, such neoplasms rapidly increase, merging into a single inflammatory conglomerate, and then into a large abscess.

Purulent atheroma in the shoulder region is removed in an emergency, first of all it is opened, drained, eliminates signs of inflammation, after a few days the cyst is excised in total to avoid relapses. A simple cyst of a small size is removed operatively in the planned regime, it should be noted that excising the atheroma in the upper half of the body is more appropriate in the "cold" period of development of the cyst, that is, at a time when it does not become inflamed or inflamed. Atheroma is considered a benign entity and never maligns, but it is not worthwhile to delay with its treatment, since there is always a risk of infection and inflammation of this tumor.

trusted-source[7], [8], [9]

Atheroma on the finger

Atheroma on the finger can be considered a medical finding, in this area of the body there are almost no sebaceous glands - in the area of the hands and in the feet of their minimal amount, so most likely for atheroma is taken another, similar in visual signs disease. What can be similar to atheroma on the finger?

  • Neurofibroma.
  • Fibroma.
  • Stenosing ligamentitis.
  • Hygroma.
  • Osteofibroma.
  • Endothermal papilloma.
  • Hyperkeratosis.
  • Chondroma.
  • Xanthoma.
  • The tendon ganglion.
  • Synovioma.
  • The epidermoid cyst.

Differential diagnosis should be performed by a dermatologist, surgeon. Obligatory are visual examination, palpation, radiography of the hand in three projections.

In addition, atheroma on the finger can be a very rare species of such a cyst, it is defined as the primary (congenital) residual atheroma formed by the translocation of epithelial cells of the straturn papillare into the layers of the subcutaneous tissue. Such cystic tumors are subject to enucleation and mandatory histological examination of the tissue material.

trusted-source[10], [11], [12], [13], [14]

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