A wandering spleen presenting as an acute abdomen: case report.
BACKGROUND
A wandering spleen, defined as a spleen without peritoneal attachments, is a rare entity characterized by splenic hypermobility due to laxity or maldevelopment of the supporting splenic ligaments. Patients with a wandering spleen may be asymptomatic, or may present with a palpable mass in the abdomen, or with acute, chronic, or intermittent symptoms due to torsion of the wandering spleen. Because early clinical diagnosis is difficult, imaging modalities play an important role in the diagnosis. Treatment should be planned according to the vitality of the spleen.


METHODS
A 22-year-old woman presented with an acute abdomen that was found to be due to a wandering spleen with 720° anti-clockwise torsion around the pedicle.


CONCLUSIONS
Splenectomy is advocated in the presence of torsion, splenic vein thrombosis, or splenic infarction. Conversely, when a viable wandering spleen is found at laparotomy, detorsion with splenopexy is preferred.
Kapan
Murat
M
Department of General Surgery, Dicle University Medical Faculty, Diyarbakır, Turkey.
Gümüş
Metehan
M
Önder
Akın
A
Gümüş
Hatice
H
Aldemir
Mustafa
M
D000006:Abdomen, Acute / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D013156:Splenectomy; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014102:Torsion Abnormality; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D050805:Wandering Spleen / Q000150:complications*; D055815:Young Adult