title: [Acute torsion of wandering spleen: a rare cause of acute abdomen].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Wandering spleen is a rare clinical entity characterized by an anomalous position of the spleen in the abdomen due to impaired splenic ligamentous attachments that produce an elongation of the vascular pedicle. This makes a partial or complete volvulus of the vascular axis more likely. Wandering spleen's clinical presentation is variable--from an asymptomatic patient to one with chronic abdominal pain or an acute abdomen. The most common complication is the acute torsion of the splenic pedicle causing acute abdominal pain.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 30-year-old woman who turned up at the Emergency Department with acute abdominal pain. Diagnostic imaging (ultrasonography and computerized axial tomography) revealed a huge spleen in an abnormal location and without vascularization. An urgent splenectomy was performed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Acute torsion of wandering spleen is a rare cause of acute abdomen, which makes early diagnosis difficult and can result in delayed treatment. This would lead to having to perform a splenectomy. Due to splenic necrosis or infarction, which increases the risk of postsplenectomy sepsis.
authors: Servicio de Cirugía General y del Aparato Digestivo, Complejo Hospitalario de Cáceres, Valladolid, Spain. beatrizdeandres007@yahoo.es
authors: Beatriz
authors: B
authors: de Andrés-Asenjo
authors: Nuria
authors: N
authors: Fernández-González
mesh_terms: D000006:Abdomen, Acute / Q000209:etiology*; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D013158:Splenic Diseases / Q000150:complications; D014102:Torsion Abnormality / Q000150:complications*; D050805:Wandering Spleen / Q000150:complications*