Peripheral thrombocytopenia, accessory spleen and Hodgkin's disease: an unusual combination

Abstract

A 32-year-old male developed severe autoimmune thrombocytopenia refractory to conventional immunosuppression. He had been treated with radiotherapy for stage I-A Hodgkin's disease (HD) 2 years earlier after a staging laparotomy and splenectomy. A 3-cm accessory spleen was detected using computed tomography scan and 99mTc scintigraphy. Resection resulted in normalization of the platelet counts. Two years later the patient remains in remission of both diseases. Immune thrombocytopenia is rarely associated with HD and its remission following resection of an accessory spleen is an unusual finding.