Search

A clinical case of a patient from our institution under study for anemia of multifactorial origin in whom splenosis was detected as an incidental finding.

There have been a number of case reports where intra-abdominal splenosis or accessory spleens have mimicked metastatic cancer. However, to the best of our knowledge, this to be the first report of a Tc-99m phytate scintigraphy study in English literature showed the uptake in the metastatic mass of pancreatic NET which had been resected for 19 years ago. Although a nuclear scintigraphy is useful method to differentiate between abdominal splenosis and metastatic cancer, the histopathological confirmation should be considered.

Unlabelled: Splenosis is defined as the location of heterotopic splenic tissue implants in the abdominal cavity or other atypical location. This entity may mimic different benign and malignant processes, which may cause an inappropriate management of the patient. A previous history of splenic trauma or splenectomy should introduce this entity in the differential diagnosis in these patients., Clinical Cases: Clinical features and imaging findings of two cases of splenosis are presented and a review of the published literature on this entity is made., Results: Based on the behavior of the lesions in different imaging techniques and taking into account the relevant history of previous splenectomy, it was possible to establish the final diagnosis of intraabdominal splenosis., Conclusions: Splenosis is an entity that should be considered in the differential diagnosis in patients with prior history of splenectomy and/or spleen trauma to avoid improper handling of them. Imaging techniques are key tools in non-invasive diagnosis of this entity.

Splenosis is a benign condition caused by an ectopic autotransplantation of splenic tissues after splenic trauma or surgery. It usually occurs within the abdominal and pelvic cavity. Patients are generally asymptomatic and this entity is diagnosed accidentally. However, occasionally extensive abdominal splenosis poses a significant diagnostic dilemma for gastroenterologists, especially when this condition manifests as a disseminated metastatic malignant disease on abdominal imaging.This paper presents a concise review of the literature on this often misleading disorder. The crucial role of taking a thorough patient´s medical history concerning splenic trauma in the past, the need for differential diagnosis of tumor-like lesions disclosed on abdominal imaging and novel diagnostics modalities that allow avoiding unnecessary laparotomy in case of abdominal splenosis are stressed.The increased prevalence of abdominal trauma due to road accidents and the growing armamentarium of available imaging modalities suggest that abdominal splenosis may be expected more often than ever.In order to prevent any possible diagnostic doubts and unnecessary future invasive examinations, confirmed splenosis should be recorded in the medical documentation of the patient.