$Unique_ID{BRK00865}
$Pretitle{Accidents, Poisoning, and Violence}
$Title{Does Injury to the Spleen Mean it Has to be Removed?}
$Subject{spleen injury surgery}
$Volume{O-24}
$Log{}

Copyright (c) 1991   Tribune Media Services, Inc.


Does Injury to the Spleen Mean it Has to be Removed?


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QUESTION:  In my day, an athletic injury to the spleen meant that it had to be
removed immediately.  Just recently, my son's best friend was hurt but no
removal took place.  Shouldn't the spleen have been taken out?

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ANSWER:  No.  Splenectomy (the operation to remove the spleen) was once done
routinely after an injury to the upper left quadrant of the abdomen where the
spleen is located.  Because doctors did not know what, if any, function was
performed by the spleen, they believed it was not needed.
     That belief was substantiated by the fact that the death rate from injury
to the spleen was 90 to 100 percent before 1900, and before surgical removal
of the spleen was used as treatment.
     Now, however, doctors understand that the spleen plays an important role
in preventing infection.  In fact, some studies have shown that the death rate
due to infection is 58 times greater than the normal population in patients
who have had their spleen removed after injury.  (Post-operative infection
only occurs in 0.5 to 1 percent of these patients though).
     Because of the new understanding of the spleen's function, today's
treatment is more conservative when a patient has received a possible injury
to the spleen.  A direct blow to the abdomen, a fall, and car accidents are
common causes of damage to the spleen.  Children especially are at risk; for
them the spleen is the most commonly injured abdominal organ.
     Although in some cases, the extent of injury will make removal of the
spleen necessary, physicians often try to repair the organ surgically, or they
may closely observe the patient and let the body heal itself.
ÿ
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The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace 
the counsel and advice of your personal physician.  Promptly consulting your 
doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical 
problem.
