title: Prevalence of Howell-Jolly bodies caused by partial splenic embolization for portal hypertension.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Postsplenectomy sepsis (PSS) and overwhelming postsplenectomy infection (OPSI) following splenectomy or the development of hyposplenism are associated with a high mortality rate. The presence of Howell-Jolly bodies (HJBs) in peripheral erythrocytes is attracting attention as a parameter of hyposplenism. To date, whether HJBs appear following partial splenic embolization (PSE) has not been investigated. Therefore, we examined the prevalence of HJBs in patients who have undergone PSE.
  
  
  METHODS
  Whether HJBs were present in 95 patients who underwent PSE between November 2007 and August 2012 was assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No serious complications occurred due to PSE; however, 17 of the 95 patients (17.89%) exhibited HJBs during the follow-up. The residual spleen volume and splenic infarction rate did not differ significantly compared to those observed in the HJB-negative group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  With the recent increase in the use of autoanalyzers, the opportunities to perform microscopic examinations have been decreasing. Therefore, the presence of HJBs, which can only be confirmed visually, may be overlooked, and the clinical significance of these bodies tends to be disregarded. However, the presence of HJBs is associated with a risk of PSS and OPSI due to hyposplenism. Because HJBs are common in the peripheral erythrocytes of patients who have undergone PSE, irrespective of the residual spleen volume or splenic infarction rate, the presence or absence of HJBs should be assessed visually. In HJB-positive patients, preventing serious infections, for example, by administering the pneumococcal vaccine, is important.
authors: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Saiseikai Niigata Daini Hospital, Japan. toruishi@ngt.saiseikai.or.jp
authors: Toru
authors: T
authors: Ishikawa
authors: Tomoyuki
authors: T
authors: Kubota
authors: Ryoko
authors: R
authors: Horigome
authors: Naruhiro
authors: N
authors: Kimura
authors: Hiroki
authors: H
authors: Honda
authors: Akito
authors: A
authors: Iwanaga
authors: Keiichi
authors: K
authors: Seki
authors: Terasu
authors: T
authors: Honma
authors: Toshiaki
authors: T
authors: Yoshida
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004621:Embolization, Therapeutic / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004908:Erythrocyte Inclusions / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006975:Hypertension, Portal / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013156:Splenectomy / Q000009:adverse effects*