Type:
Educational Exhibit
Keywords:
Diagnostic procedure, MR, CT, Spleen, Abdomen, Trauma
Authors:
M. Dimarco1, V. Putortì1, F. Arnone2, R. Cannella1, D. Giambelluca1, M. Midiri1; 1Palermo/IT, 2Partinico/IT
DOI:
10.26044/ecr2019/C-3201
Background
The term "splenosis" refers to an uncommon,
benign,
acquired condition of heterotopic autotransplantation of splenic tissue in another anatomic compartment of the body.
This condition is more frequently found in patients subsequent to major abdominal trauma with splenic rupture,
laceration or splenectomy.
Splenosis must be distinguished from the accessory spleen,
a more frequently encountered congenital condition.
Often asymptomatic,
splenosis may be seen as an incidental finding; rarely it can present a vague and non-specific symptomatology,
due mainly to the increase in size of the nodules.
The most frequent implant site is the peritoneal cavity,
where the splenosis nodule can grow in size thanks to the local blood supply.
However,
cases of splenosis in the pelvic and thoracic regions have also been described.
It has been hypothesized that splenosis is due to a direct implantation of splenic tissue in the nearby body cavities after rupture of the spleen,
even if cases of splenosis in more distant locations suggest also a possible hematogenous spread [1]