title: Infarcted ectopic spleen presenting as retroperitoneal mass.
abstract: Wandering or ectopic spleen is an exceptionally rare condition. Because of the abnormally long pedicle, an ectopic spleen is prone to torsion and infarction. Patients can present with abdominal pain or an acute abdomen. The incidence is over a wide age range, but it occurs with a female predominance in the third to fifth decades. We present a case in a 26-year-old female of an infarcted ectopic spleen, initially thought to be a retroperitoneal mass on computed tomography scan, but found at surgery in the lower abdomen. The minimally invasive gynecologic surgeon needs to be aware of this entity, which may rarely be encountered.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey--New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey 07101, USA.
authors.forename: Hoda Zeinab
authors.initials: HZ
authors.lastname: Amer
authors.forename: Channing
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chin
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Clarke
authors.forename: Debra
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Heller
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002828:Choristoma / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007813:Laparotomy; D012187:Retroperitoneal Space / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D013154:Spleen; D013159:Splenic Infarction / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed