Atheroma - What Is It? Causes, Symptoms And Treatment Methods

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-17 02:10

Atheroma - what is it? Manifestation symptoms

This pathology does not belong to tumors, although the suffix "-oma" (lipoma, hemangioma, myoma), at first glance, gives it a place in the class of neoplasms. In fact, atheroma is a cyst of the sebaceous glands, formed not due to inflammation, but for completely different reasons.

The most common localization of atheroma on the human body is the areas of active production of sebum, characterized by a greasy sheen. This is the face, the area behind the ears, on the back of the head, between the shoulder blades, on the tailbone.

Content:

• Why does atheroma occur?
• Symptoms of atheroma
• Visual signs of atheroma
• Differentiation of atheroma from similar pathologies
• Inflammation of atheroma
• Diagnosis
• Surgical treatment of atheroma
• The difference between surgical intervention in a complicated form
• Postoperative period
• Dangerous signs of complications after surgery
• Frequently Asked Questions

Why does atheroma occur?

At the heart of the appearance of a cyst is a blockage of the outlet duct of the sebaceous glands. As a result, the sebum produced by the gland does not come to the surface, but accumulates inside. The duct increases in size, and the body's defense system, trying to stop this process, forms a cyst of connective tissue in the form of a cavity around an atypical formation.

Factors leading to blockage of the sebaceous glands:

• Injury of the epidermis - skin cells after damage to it with a blunt object clog the lumen of the sebaceous gland duct.
• Low level of personal hygiene - dust particles, other contaminants must be regularly removed from the surface of the skin so as not to clog the excretory ducts of the glands.
• Hormonal imbalance, the predominance of male hormones - testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone - leads to a change in the functioning of the sebaceous glands, increased secretion of sebum and its thickening.
• Postmenopause - during menopause, the concentration of estrogen sharply decreases in the female body, which increases the likelihood of changes in the composition of sebum and the formation of atheroma.

Although atheroma most often occurs in adults, the congenital form of this neoplasm in children is rarely diagnosed. The cyst forms in front of the auricle and looks like a small ball up to 2 cm in diameter. The reason for the appearance of atheroma in children is a small defect in the epidermis in the area of the auricle. In the future, such atheroma does not develop and does not affect the health of the child.

Symptoms of atheroma

Since the formation of atheroma is not accompanied by an inflammatory process, there are no symptoms such as weakness, fever, impaired appetite, hyperemia and changes in the surface layer of the skin. If the atheroma does not become inflamed, then no problems other than a cosmetic defect are fixed.

Place of localization of the cyst:

• Back - often occurs on the skin between the shoulder blades, although another part of this part of the body is not excluded;
• Head - face, back of the head, area around the ears, chin;
• Crotch;
• Coccyx;
• Armpits;
• Popliteal fossa.

In those areas of the human body in which there are no sebaceous glands (palms, feet), atheromas never form.

Visual signs of atheroma

It is a rounded formation located deep under the skin. Even a small atheroma is visible with the naked eye, has a diameter of 0.5 cm, reaching in rare cases a size of 20 cm. Since the cyst is constantly growing, its size increases over time. This formation is painless even on palpation, it has a denser consistency than the nearby tissues. When trying to displace the cyst to the side, it easily gives in to the applied efforts.

Differentiation of atheroma from similar pathologies

A sebaceous cyst in its symptoms may be similar to other subcutaneous formations - an enlarged lymph node, fibroma, or lipoma. It is important to know their characteristic features in order to distinguish from each other. Other formations are so rare that their symptoms are not important for diagnosis.

Sign	Atheroma	Lipoma	Fibroma	Lymph node
Mobility of the skin layer over the formation	Inseparable from the skin, as it is formed in the thickness of its layer	Are located under the skin layer, so the skin is mobile
Appearance	Looks like a rounded formation that rises above the skin	Often not visible without the use of special equipment, without magnification
Density	The consistency is soft		The consistency is dense
Soreness	Usually painless, with suppuration, tenderness appears on palpation	Formations are painless		Painful

The main features make it possible to differentiate atheroma from similar pathologies.

Inflammation of atheroma

If pathogenic microorganisms enter the cavity of the cyst, its tissues can become inflamed. The cause of inflammation is trauma to the epidermis as a result of cuts, piercing of the skin, scraping of the upper layer, attempts to squeeze out atheroma on the face, neck, and back of the head.

Signs of inflammation:

• An increase in atheroma in size by several centimeters in the shortest possible time;
• Hyperemia;
• Puffiness;
• Pain on palpation of atheroma.

As a result of inflammation and tissue melting, pus finds a way out, breaking through the skin. After applying a sterile dressing, you need to contact a surgeon to remove the remnants of the connective tissue of the capsule and debride the wound.

If you do not consult a doctor and self-medicate, the remaining parts of the capsule will cause the atheroma to re-form.

Diagnosis

A standard study is an ultrasound, when analyzing the results of which you can see the capsule. The cavity is a characteristic feature of atheroma. Laboratory tests, other diagnostic methods are not informative.

Surgical treatment of atheroma

The only effective way to treat atheroma is surgical removal, because drug therapy or traditional medicine recipes do not bring any significant result and can cause a relapse.

As soon as signs of inflammation appear around the formation, you should immediately contact the outpatient clinic or the emergency room of a surgical hospital. Uncomplicated atheroma is operated on in a planned manner.

The main goal of surgery is the removal or destruction of the cyst and its contents. Surgical treatment methods:

Method	Method content	Benefits
Classic method	An incision is made in the surface layers of the skin, through which the cyst is removed without violating its integrity. A suture is applied to the wound and then the threads are removed during dressing after healing	minimal risk of soft tissue edema
Argon plasma coagulation	Atheroma is destroyed with a plasma beam at the end of a special scalpel, simultaneously with tissue destruction, blood stops	availability in large clinics minimal blood loss little risk of scarring
Laser destruction	The laser knife destroys the cyst and its capsule	minimal blood loss low risk of relapse cosmetic postoperative scar or lack thereof the disadvantage of these methods is their low prevalence due to the high cost of equipment and its absence in public clinics
Electrocoagulation	Electroknife removes the cyst using high frequency current
Radio wave knife	Atheroma tissues are burned out using high-intensity radio waves

All methods of surgical intervention require the introduction of local anesthesia. The operation to remove atheroma rarely takes more than 20 minutes.

The difference between surgical intervention in a complicated form

After removing the festering atheroma in any way, the wound is not sutured tightly, but a hole is left in it for drainage. Its role is played by a rubber tube treated in an antiseptic solution. Then a sterile dressing is applied to the wound field. Suturing the wound tightly occurs when treating an uncomplicated form of atheroma.

Postoperative period

In the first days after removing the capsule, it is important to closely monitor the condition of the wound. Initially, the surgeon performs daily procedures, changing the drainage device and antiseptic dressings. The total duration of the postoperative period is 10-14 days. It takes place on an outpatient basis. Occasionally complicated forms of atheroma are treated in a surgical hospital.

After the formation of connective tissue between the edges of the wound, the stitches are removed. This manipulation takes no more than 3-5 minutes, and usually it is painless.

Dangerous signs of complications after surgery

• Accession of inflammation after removal of the uncomplicated form of the cyst, the appearance of pus;
• An increase in temperature indicates tissue infection; normally, hyperthermia disappears in 2-3 days;
• Divergence of the wound edges - found during dressing;
• Leakage of blood through the bandage - increased bleeding is diagnosed with hepatitis, hemophilia, thrombocytopenia, enlarged spleen, as well as in patients using anticoagulants (Aspirin, Cardiomagnyl, Heparin, Thromboass).

The appearance of any of the above signs is a reason for contacting a doctor who will assess the danger of a complication and take remedial measures.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Is there a risk of recurrence of atheroma? Yes, even a small number of preserved cells can give rise to a new cyst.
• What does a postoperative scar look like? Can you avoid it? Minimal scars are formed after surgery using radio waves. In second place is the argon-plasma method. After these interventions, there may be no scars at all. Traditional surgery leaves visible scars.
• How to prevent atheroma? There are no specific prevention methods. It is important to control hormonal levels, observe hygiene, and avoid injury to the skin.
• What is the difference between atheroma and lipoma? Lipoma is located in the thickness of fatty tissue, it is caused by excessive growth of connective tissue and is a benign tumor.
• Can the process become cancerous? No, such cases are excluded, this is not a precancerous disease.
• Can self-destruction of the cyst occur? No, this is impossible, atheroma cannot resolve, it remains unchanged for a long time.
• Is a surgeon obligated to operate on a non-inflamed atheroma? Services under the compulsory medical insurance policy may not include the removal of non-inflamed atheroma. The way out is to operate in a private clinic or wait for the development of inflammation, which does not guarantee the absence of a cosmetic defect after the intervention.
• What are the consequences of self-extruding atheroma? The cyst is usually located in places of intense blood circulation, so there is a high risk of the infection spreading to the brain through the blood vessels if bacteria enter the wound. It is impossible to squeeze out a cyst - you need to seek qualified medical help.

The author of the article: Volkov Dmitry Sergeevich | c. m. n. surgeon, phlebologist

Education: Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry (1996). In 2003 he received a diploma from the Educational and Scientific Medical Center of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation.