title: Pediatric wandering spleen successfully treated by laparoscopic splenopexy.
abstract: Wandering spleen is a rare clinical condition associated with a high incidence of splenic torsion and infarction. The preferred treatment is splenopexy to reposition the spleen in the left upper quadrant of the abdomen. We report the case of a 12-year-old girl who presented with intermittent abdominal pain. An abdominal sonography was diagnostic of wandering spleen. The patient was successfully treated by laparoscopic splenopexy. The spleen was repositioned in the left upper quadrant and fixed to the posterior abdominal wall by a mesh patch attached by staples. To reinforce the splenopexy we created an additional support by plicating the phrenocolic ligament and suturing it to the lateral abdominal wall, making a pouch for the inferior pole of the spleen. The postoperative course was rapid and uneventful. A normal spleen position was verified by radionuclide scans at 3 days and 6 months postoperatively. Laparoscopic splenopexy is an excellent option for organ-preserving treatment in wandering spleen.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Surgery, Soroka Medical Center, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel. olegkle@zahav.net.il
authors.forename: Oleg
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kleiner
authors.forename: Nitza
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Newman
authors.forename: Zahavi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Cohen
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D013536:Suture Techniques; D050805:Wandering Spleen / Q000601:surgery*