Groin Lump

CLINICAL DIAGNOSTIC MANUAL

The appearance of a groin lump is a common clinical finding that can be caused by a variety of conditions, ranging from benign to potentially serious.

A groin lump may result from inflammatory, infectious, vascular, or neoplastic processes, and its evaluation requires a detailed medical history and thorough physical examination.

It is important to differentiate between the various causes to determine the appropriate treatment. Diagnosis may involve imaging studies and laboratory tests to confirm the nature and origin of the lump.

Pathology	Symptoms and Clinical Signs	Suspicion Diagnosis	Confirmatory Diagnosis
Lymph Node Inflammation	Painful or painless lump, fever, signs of local or systemic infection	Clinical history, physical examination	Ultrasound, blood tests, biopsy
Inguinal Hernia	Groin lump that increases with exertion, reducible, variable pain	Clinical history, physical examination	Ultrasound, abdominal CT scan
Femoral Hernia	Groin lump, more common in women, increases with exertion, reducible, variable pain	Clinical history, physical examination	Ultrasound, abdominal CT scan
Strangulated Hernia	Severe pain, irreducible, signs of bowel obstruction, fever	Clinical history, physical examination	Surgical exploration, abdominal CT scan
Lymphoma	Firm and painless lump, systemic symptoms (fever, weight loss, night sweats)	Clinical history, physical examination, blood tests	Biopsy, CT, MRI, PET scan
Femoral Artery Aneurysm	Pulsatile mass in the groin, possible pain, signs of distal ischemia	Clinical history, physical examination	Doppler ultrasound, angiography, CT scan
Saphenous Varix	Soft, compressible mass in the groin, changes with position and exertion	Clinical history, physical examination	Venous Doppler ultrasound
Cold Abscess in the Psoas Sheath	Painless or mildly painful mass, fever, history of tuberculosis or chronic infections	Clinical history, physical examination, blood tests	Ultrasound, CT, MRI
Other Causes	Varies depending on the specific cause (lipoma, sebaceous cyst, hematoma)	Clinical history, physical examination	Ultrasound, CT scan