Abdominal splenosis

Abstract

Splenosis is a benign condition caused by an ectopic autotransplantation of splenic tissues after splenic trauma or surgery. It usually occurs within the abdominal and pelvic cavity. Patients are generally asymptomatic and this entity is diagnosed accidentally. However, occasionally extensive abdominal splenosis poses a significant diagnostic dilemma for gastroenterologists, especially when this condition manifests as a disseminated metastatic malignant disease on abdominal imaging.This paper presents a concise review of the literature on this often misleading disorder. The crucial role of taking a thorough patient´s medical history concerning splenic trauma in the past, the need for differential diagnosis of tumor-like lesions disclosed on abdominal imaging and novel diagnostics modalities that allow avoiding unnecessary laparotomy in case of abdominal splenosis are stressed.The increased prevalence of abdominal trauma due to road accidents and the growing armamentarium of available imaging modalities suggest that abdominal splenosis may be expected more often than ever.In order to prevent any possible diagnostic doubts and unnecessary future invasive examinations, confirmed splenosis should be recorded in the medical documentation of the patient.