title: Splenic abscess and sickle cell disease.
abstract: This is a report of our experience with 10 cases of splenic abscess in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). All presented with fever and abdominal pain and were found to have a tender enlarged spleen. Two were found to have a ruptured spleen and five of them were septicemic on presentation. Although both ultrasound and CT-scan of the abdomen were of diagnostic value, we found CT-scan more accurate and reliable in the diagnosis of splenic abscess. Ultrasound and/or CT-scan should be used routinely in the evaluation of SCD patients who present with fever and abdominal pain, especially if they have a tender enlarged spleen. Diagnostic aspiration under CT-scan or ultrasound guidance should be used in doubtful cases to differentiate between splenic abscess and a large splenic infarct. All our patients were managed by peri operative antibiotics and splenectomy with no mortality. Salmonella was the commonest causative organism. Although CT-guided aspiration of splenic abscess is being advocated recently, we feel splenectomy should be the treatment of choice in patients with SCD as there is no point in preserving a non-functioning spleen that is present in the majority of patients. CT-guided aspiration may be employed as a temporary measure for those patients who are at high surgical risk with unilocular abscess.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Qalif Central Hospital, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: A H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Al-Salem
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Qaisaruddin
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Al Jam'a
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Al-Kalaf
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: El-Bashier
mesh_terms: D000038:Abscess / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000755:Anemia, Sickle Cell / Q000150:complications*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013158:Splenic Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed