title: Laparoscopic splenectomy for a huge splenic cyst without preoperative drainage: report of a case.
abstract: Laparoscopic splenectomy currently is a safe procedure and offers better cosmetic results, less pain, and a shorter hospital stay than the traditional open procedure. However, there have been only a few reports of laparoscopic removal of giant splenic cysts. An 18-year-old woman was admitted with abdominal fullness. CT scans and MRI images of the upper abdomen revealed a cystic mass having a diameter of 19 cm. Preoperative diagnosis was a large splenic cyst, and laparoscopic splenectomy with intraoperative cyst drainage (amount of drained fluid: 3,000 mL) was performed. Histologically, almost the entire cyst wall was lined with fibrous tissue, but a small portion was covered with stratified squamous epithelium. The final diagnosis was epidermoid cyst. The postoperative course was uneventful. Laparoscopic splenectomy should be tried first even in patients with a huge cyst, and intraoperative drainage under laparoscopic guidance facilitates laparoscopic splenectomy.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Surgery, Mie University School of Medicine, Edobashi, Tsu City, Mie Prefecture, Japan. shintaro@clin.medic.mie-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Shintaro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yagi
authors.forename: Shuji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Isaji
authors.forename: Taku
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Iida
authors.forename: Shugo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mizuno
authors.forename: Masami
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tabata
authors.forename: Kentaro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamagiwa
authors.forename: Hajime
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yokoi
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Imai
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Uemoto
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D004322:Drainage / Q000379:methods; D004814:Epidermal Cyst / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D011300:Preoperative Care; D013156:Splenectomy / Q000379:methods*; D013158:Splenic Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed