title: [Partial splenectomy in sickle cell disease].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Total splenectomy in sickle cell disease is related to a high risk of fulminant sepsis and increased incidence of other events, which have not been reported in patients with partial splenectomy. In this study we examined the patients with sickle cell disease and partial splenectomy and compared the clinical and laboratory results with non-splenectomized patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 54 patients with sickle cell disease who underwent partial splenectomy in childhood from 1986 until 2011 at the Institute of Hematology and Immunology. They were compared with 54 non-splenectomized patients selected by random sampling with similar characteristics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Partial splenectomy was performed at a mean age of 4.1 years, with a higher frequency in homozygous hemoglobin S (70.4%), and the most common cause was recurrent splenic sequestration crisis. The most common postoperative complications were fever of unknown origin (14.8%) and acute chest syndrome (11.1%). After splenectomy there was a significant increase in leukocytes, neutrophils, and platelets, the latter two parameters remained significantly elevated when compared with non-splenectomized patients. There was no difference in the incidence of clinical events, except hepatic sequestration, which was more common in splenectomized patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Partial splenectomy was a safe procedure in patients with sickle cell disease. There were no differences in the clinical picture in children splenectomized and non-splenectomized except the greater frequency of hepatic sequestration crisis in the first group.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Hematología e Inmunología, La Habana, Cuba. Electronic address: adysg74@yahoo.es.
authors.forename: A I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Gutiérrez Díaz
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Hematología e Inmunología, La Habana, Cuba.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Svarch
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Hematología e Inmunología, La Habana, Cuba.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Arencibia Núñez
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Hematología e Inmunología, La Habana, Cuba.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sabournin Ferrier
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Hematología e Inmunología, La Habana, Cuba.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Machín García
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Hematología e Inmunología, La Habana, Cuba.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Menendez Veitía
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Hematología e Inmunología, La Habana, Cuba.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ramón Rodriguez
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Hematología e Inmunología, La Habana, Cuba.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Serrano Mirabal
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Hematología e Inmunología, La Habana, Cuba.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: García Peralta
authors.affiliation: Servicio de cirugía, Hospital Pediátrico Docente William Soler, La Habana, Cuba.
authors.forename: L G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: López Martin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000755:Anemia, Sickle Cell / Q000150:complications*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013156:Splenectomy / Q000379:methods*; D013158:Splenic Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Drepanocitosis; Esplenectomía parcial; Esplenectomía total; Partial splenectomy; Sickle cell disease; Total splenectomy