Thoracic splenosis: Case report of a symptomatic case

Abstract

Thoracic splenosis is the autotransplantation of splenic tissue in the left thoracic cavity as a result of a splenic injury. This rare pathology is usually asymptomatic and may be discovered on incidental imaging, but the diagnosis often requires invasive procedures such as surgery in order to eliminate a neoplasic origin. We report a rare symptomatic case of a 39-year-old man presenting with chest pain and multiple nodules revealed on a computed tomography scan. The patient underwent a surgical exploration and the pathological studies concluded to a thoracic splenosis. Indeed, the previous medical history of the patient revealed a left thoraco-abdominal traumatism during childhood. The aim of this paper is to emphasize that the diagnosis can now be performed using only imaging techniques such as technetium-99 sulfur colloid or labelled heat-denatured red blood cell scintigraphy to avoid unnecessary invasive procedures including thoracotomy.

Keywords: Diaphragmatic injury; Pleural nodule; Splenectomy; Splenic injury; Thoracic splenosis.

Fig. 1

Computed tomography scan of the lower chest showing multiples nodules on the left diaphragmatic pleura (A: frontal view; B: coronal view).

Fig. 2

Intraoperative view showing the heap of splenosis nodules.