title: Splenectomy for haematological diseases.
abstract: Two hundred patients with various haematological diseases underwent splenectomy between 1974 and 1986. The diagnoses were: Hodgkin's disease (n = 76), hairy cell leukaemia (n = 25), idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (n = 20), chronic lymphatic leukaemia (n = 19), haemolytic anaemia (n = 18), non-Hodgkin lymphoma (n = 16), myelofibrosis (n = 10), chronic myeloid leukaemia (n = 6), spherocytosis (n = 4), and miscellaneous (n = 6). Many of the patients were treated with corticosteroids and in poor general condition, partly as a result of chemotherapy. There were 37 postoperative complications in 29 patients (14.5%); two died, both of septicaemia. Pneumonia, bleeding, and wound infection were the most common complications, occurring in 9, 8, and 6 patients, respectively. Twelve patients required reoperation, eight for bleeding, two for intra-abdominal abscesses, and one each for pancreatitis and bowel perforation. There was no association between the diagnosis and the type of postoperative complication, but patients whose spleens weighed more than 2 kg had an increased incidence of postoperative complications (30%). We conclude that elective splenectomy is a safe treatment for haematological diseases, even in high risk patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University Hospital, Linköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Johansson
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Boström
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sjödahl
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ihse
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006402:Hematologic Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D012086:Reoperation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013156:Splenectomy / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology