title: Surgical treatment of immune thrombocytopenic purpura.
abstract: The role of surgery in the treatment of immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is still discussed. The aim of this study was to verify our criteria of patient selection for splenectomy, to analyze the results of a protocol for the evaluation of the hemorrhagic risk, and to discuss long-term results of 70 patients with ITP who underwent surgical treatment from 1984 to 1990. All patients received steroid therapy. Sixty-two patients were given high doses of IgG (600 mg/kg/iv bolus) pre-operatively in order to obviate the need for intra-operative platelet transfusions. Forty-three patients showed a significant increase in the platelet count, 8 a moderate increase, while 11 patients did not respond. No operative mortality was observed, however postoperative minor complications occurred in 14 (20%) patients. Accessory spleens were found in 11 (15.7%) patients. Mean follow-up was 21 months. Response to splenectomy was considered as complete (platelets greater than 150,000 mm3 with no need for medical treatment) in 63 (90%) patients. No response was observed in 7 patients. In 2 of the non-responders postoperative indium-111 scan revealed accessory spleens and ITP remitted after accessory splenectomy. All non-responders were in the group of patients who did not respond to the pre-operative infusion of high dose IgG. It can be concluded that splenectomy is a safe and effective treatment for ITP and that response to pre-operative infusion of IgG may be considered as predictive for the outcome after splenectomy.
authors.affiliation: Cattedra di Patologia Chirurgica IX, Università degli Studi di Roma La Sapienza, Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chirletti
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cardi
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Barillari
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vitale
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sammartino
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bolognese
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Caiazzo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ricci
authors.forename: I A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Muttillo
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Stipa
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011300:Preoperative Care; D016553:Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic / Q000276:immunology / Q000601:surgery*; D013156:Splenectomy