Left diaphragmatic eventration with a suprapubic spleen: report of a case

Abstract

Diaphragmatic defects such as eventration and hernia are known to be associated with a high-sited, sometimes intrathoracic spleen. We report here a unique case of an 8-year-old boy found to have a left congenital diaphragmatic eventration and a suprapubic wandering spleen after presenting with symptoms of an "acute abdomen" due to torsion of the splenic pedicle. To our knowledge only one other case of a similar paradoxical association of these anomalies has been reported before; interestingly, in this patient splenic infarction had also resulted secondary to splenic torsion. We recommend careful evaluation of the location and vascular status of the spleen in all patients with congenital diaphragmatic defects due to the common occurrence of splenic vascular insult.