Hepatic spleen nodules (HSN)

Abstract

Hepatic splenosis is a nodular implant of normal spleen tissue in the liver. This innocent liver nodule is frequently misinterpreted as a malignancy. Almost all hepatic splenoses have been associated with a clinical history of splenic trauma or prior surgery. This report describes two cases of hepatic splenosis. In both patients, the nodular lesions were initially thought to be liver malignancies and they were ultimately assessed by histology. The clinico-pathological findings of all published cases of liver splenosis underwent critical review. Although they are rare, hepatic spleen nodules should always be included in the diagnostic spectrum of nodular liver lesions because of their impact on treatment decisions.