The technique of laparoscopic retroperitoneal splenopexy for symptomatic wandering spleen in childhood

Abstract

Background: Wandering spleen is an uncommon diagnosis, difficult to prove by standard investigations. The authors report a new method for laparoscopic splenopexy in children using a balloon-dilated retroperitoneal pouch.

Methods: From 3 accesses, the spleen is mobilized and displaced into a retroperitoneal pouch dilated to the double splenic volume. The pouch is dilated by a self-made balloon via a further intercostal access and narrowed by sutures incorporating the cranial and caudal edge of the gastrosplenic ligament.

Results: The peritoneal pouch contracts around the retroperitoneal spleen resulting in a firm fixation of the organ. This technique was successful in a 9-year-old girl with a 5-year history of severe recurrent abdominal pain.

Conclusions: Laparoscopic retroperitoneal pouch splenopexy is a safe and effective procedure for symptomatic wandering spleen precluding the use of foreign materials in this age group.