Acute abdomen due to torsion of a pelvic wandering spleen

Abstract

Wandering spleen is a rare entity characterized by incomplete fixation of the spleen by lienorenal and gastrosplenic ligaments. Wandering spleen can migrate to the lower abdomen or pelvis, and can be either congenital or acquired. It is most commonly found in women of reproductive age, and may be misdiagnosed as an abdominal or adnexal mass. It is usually asymptomatic, but may present with acute, chronic, or intermittent abdominal pain. Here, we report a case of torsion of a huge congenital pelvic wandering spleen and microscopic isolated pancreatic tissue (disconnected from the pancreas) with impending splenic rupture in a 23-year-old female patient. Progressively severe chronic or intermittent torsion of the vascular pedicle of the wandering spleen caused progressive intermittent lower abdominal pain. The patient underwent splenectomy with resection of the long pedicle and the postoperative course was uneventful. The pathognomonic computerized tomography features of this case, including absence of the spleen in the left upper quadrant and the presence of a whirl-like structure running down to the central portion of the distally located large soft-tissue mass and with a notched- (hilar-) like contour, are also described.