wandering spleen

Q: 34 year old soccer player is admitted with acute right-sided abdominal pain. CT scan report described wandering spleen. What is wandering spleen?

Answer: Wandering spleen also known as the ectopic spleen, where spleen migrates to another location in the abdomen. This is due to either laxity or maldevelopment (congenital) of the supporting ligaments. Abdominal pain can be acute, chronic, or intermittent pain. Pain is probably due to the torsion of the wandering spleen. Removal of the spleen is recommended as it may cause life-threatening complications including splenic infarction, portal hypertension, and hemorrhage. Splenopexy has been described but is not preferred as recurrence or complications are common.

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Reference:

1. Gayer G, Hertz M, Strauss S, Zissin R. Congenital anomalies of the spleen. Semin Ultrasound CT MR 2006; 27:358. 

2. Faridi MS, Kumar A, Inam L, Shahid R. Wandering Spleen- A diagnostic Challenge: Case Report and Review of Literature. Malays J Med Sci. 2014;21(6):57-60. 

3. Stringel G, Soucy P, Mercer S. Torsion of the wandering spleen: splenectomy or splenopexy. J Pediatr Surg. 1982;17(4):373–375.