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Therefore, removal of the spleen runs the risk of overwhelming post-splenectomy infection, a medical emergency and rapidly fatal disease caused by the inability of the body's immune system to properly fight infection following splenectomy or asplenia. [1] Common indications for splenectomy include trauma, tumors, splenomegaly or for ...
Splenic artery embolization is a minimally invasive procedure and, where successful, avoids splenectomy. If an individual's spleen is enlarged, as is frequent in mononucleosis, most physicians will advise against activities (such as contact sports) where injury to the abdomen could be catastrophic. [10]
A necessary requirement for splenosis is the rupture of the spleen, through a traumatic injury (such as a car wreck) or abdominal surgery, especially splenectomy.Splenosis in the abdominal category may occur in up to 65% of traumatic ruptures of the spleen. [3]
Splenic infarction is also more common in hematological disorders with associated splenomegaly, such as the myeloproliferative disorders. Other causes of splenomegaly (for example, Gaucher disease or hemoglobinopathies) can also predispose to infarction. Splenic infarction can also result from a sickle cell crisis in patients with sickle cell ...
An overwhelming post-splenectomy infection (OPSI) is a rare but rapidly fatal infection occurring in individuals following removal (or permanent dysfunction) of the spleen. The infections are typically characterized by either meningitis or sepsis , and are caused by encapsulated organisms including Streptococcus pneumoniae . [ 3 ]
A 3D medical animation still of spleen structure and exact location. The spleen (from Anglo-Norman espleen, ult. from Ancient Greek σπλήν, splḗn) [1] is an organ found in almost all vertebrates. Similar in structure to a large lymph node, it acts primarily as a blood filter.
Lack of a spleen, called asplenia, can occur by autosplenectomy or the surgical counterpart, splenectomy. Asplenia can increase susceptibility to infection. [3] Autosplenectomy can occur in cases of sickle-cell disease where the misshapen cells block blood flow to the spleen, causing scarring and eventual atrophy of the organ. [2]
Acquired asplenia occurs for several reasons: . Following splenectomy due to splenic rupture from trauma or because of tumor; After splenectomy with the goal of interfering with splenic function, as a treatment for diseases (e.g. idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, thalassemia, spherocytosis), in which the spleen's usual activity exacerbates the disease