title: Wandering spleen in children: a report of 3 cases and a brief literature review underlining the importance of diagnostic imaging.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Wandering spleen is a rare condition in children that is often caused by loss or weakening of the splenic ligaments. Its clinical presentation is variable; 64% of children with wandering spleen have splenic torsion as a complication.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To provide up-to-date information on the diagnosis, clinical management and diagnostic imaging approaches for wandering spleen in infants and children and to underline the importance of color Doppler US and CT in providing important information for patient management.
  
  
  METHODS
  We report a series of three children with wandering spleen treated at our children's hospital over the last 6 years. All three underwent clinical evaluation, color Doppler US and CT and were surgically treated. We also reviewed 40 articles that included 55 patients younger than 18 years reported in the Medline database from 2002 to 2012.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We correlated pathological data with imaging findings. Color Doppler US, the first imaging modality in investigating abdominal symptoms in children with suspected wandering spleen, yielded a diagnostic sensitivity of 54.9%, whereas CT achieved about 71.7%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Radiologic evaluation has a major role in confirming the diagnosis of a suspected wandering spleen and avoiding potentially life-threatening complications requiring immediate surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Bambino Gesù Pediatric Hospital, P.zza S. Onofrio, 4-00165, Rome, Italy, rlombardi78@email.it.
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lombardi
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Menchini
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Corneli
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Magistrelli
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Accinni
authors.forename: Lidia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Monti
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tomà
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013154:Spleen / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D013158:Splenic Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*; D014102:Torsion Abnormality / Q000175:diagnosis*; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color / Q000379:methods*