Multiple intraabdominal soft-tissue masses in a man awaiting liver transplantation: a case study and discussion.
An unusual cause of abdominal soft-tissue masses is accessory splenic tissue. The Tc-99m-sulfur colloid liver-spleen scan is a valuable adjunct in making this diagnosis. This report describes a 47-year-old man who had an abdominal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan as part of a pretransplant evaluation and was found to have multiple soft-tissue masses in the posterior aspect of his abdomen. His history was pertinent for a traumatic rupture of the spleen at the age of 12 years, for which he required a splenectomy. He had no symptoms or physical findings to indicate a lymphoproliferative disorder or other malignant process. His peripheral blood smear was remarkable for the absence of Howell-Jolly bodies. The nuclear scan confirmed the presence of uptake in the soft-tissue masses seen on MRI scan. This finding supports our diagnosis of splenosis in a man with a history of traumatic splenic rupture as a child.
Stein
S
S
Department of Medicine, and University of Pennsylvania Cancer Center, Philadelphia, USA.
Duarte
P S
PS
Alavi
A
A
Zhuang
H
H
Alavi
J B
JB
D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011300:Preoperative Care; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D013154:Spleen / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D017890:Splenosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D013671:Technetium Tc 99m Sulfur Colloid
D013671:Technetium Tc 99m Sulfur Colloid