title: A rare cause of chronic abdominal pain: recurrent sub-torsions of an accessory spleen.
abstract: Accessory spleen is defined as one, two, or three nodules of additional ectopic splenic parenchyma hung by a vascular pedicle generally near the spleen. Despite a relatively high frequency (from 10 to 30 % of the population based on autopsy studies), most accessory spleens are asymptomatic. Although cases of accessory spleen were clearly described in the literature, this perplexing diagnosis is often delayed and rarely made preoperatively. We report episodic recurrences of abdominal pain in a 66-year-old man attributed to iterative sub-torsions of an accessory spleen, as well as a comprehensive review of the literature.
authors.affiliation: Department of General, Digestive and Endocrine Surgery, Hôpital Robert-Debré, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Reims, Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Reims, France, martin.lhuaire@etudiant.univ-reims.fr.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lhuaire
authors.forename: Daniele
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sommacale
authors.forename: Tullio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Piardi
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Grenier
authors.forename: Marie-Danièle
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Diebold
authors.forename: Claude
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Avisse
authors.forename: Reza
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kianmanesh
mesh_terms: D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000209:etiology*; D000368:Aged; D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012008:Recurrence; D013154:Spleen / Q000002:abnormalities*; D013158:Splenic Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D014102:Torsion Abnormality / Q000150:complications*