Evaluation of cervical lymph nodes is extremely important in determining the nature and etiology of the primary disease process that has produced nodal enlargement.
Clinical evaluation includes a general health assessment, particularly relating to symptoms from the head and neck. Examination of the nodes themselves often gives the clinician a clue as to the nature of the pathological process.
Soft, tender, and inflamed lymph nodes suggest an acute inflammatory process, which is most likely to be infective.