Diagnosis
Since granulomas are observed in many diseases, the diagnosis is not always easy to make. Granulomas of the skin, e.g. granuloma anulare or foreign body granulae, must be distinguished from these. They can often be identified by your doctor by “gaze diagnosis” and rarely require further diagnostic means.
In the case of granulomas of the internal organs, however, further steps are often taken to clarify the diagnosis. The first step towards a diagnosis is to interview the patient. By describing previous symptoms, the doctor can make initial assumptions.
For example, the appearance of a “nodule” in a fresh surgical scar can be groundbreaking. During the subsequent physical examination, the overall condition of the patient is recorded. If, for example, a granuloma of the lung is suspected, the stethoscope is used to listen to the organ.
In addition to the physical examination, very often an imaging of the affected organ is performed. With X-ray, MRT or CT examinations, any existing granulomas can usually be detected. Final certainty, however, can only be obtained by examining tissue samples under the microscope.
Characteristic signs of a granuloma can be clearly recognized, classified and assigned to the corresponding disease. Self-explanatory, there is no uniform therapy for granuloma. It is directed at the underlying disease and can in principle take any form.
Surgical procedures as well as drug therapy are important pillars. Some granulomas, especially “skin nodules”, often only represent an aesthetic problem and do not need treatment per se. If, however, those affected suffer from the skin appearance, therapy can also be provided here.
Cold therapy, also known as “kyrotherapy”, can provide anular relief for granulomas, for example. Various ointments, such as preparations containing cortisone, are also used. Other granulomas, such asB.
large foreign body granulomas in the former surgical area, can make a new surgical intervention indispensable. Tuberculosis granulomas of the lung, on the other hand, must be treated with a strict, complicated and sometimes very lengthy antibiotic therapy. Even the first suspicion of the sometimes highly infectious disease is enough to initiate the therapy!
