Laparoscopic splenopexy of a pediatric wandering spleen by creation of a retroperitoneal pocket

A case of torsed wandering spleen presenting as perforated acute appendicitis: A case report and literature review

INTRODUCTION

Wandering spleen (WS) is a rare circumstance characterized via exaggerated splenic mobility because of absent or lax suspensory ligaments. It predisposes the spleen to torsion, that could purpose infarction, rupture, or gangrene, requiring urgent intervention.

PRESENTATION OF CASE

We report a 10-year-old girl with a three-day history of acute abdominal pain, vomiting, and fever. Physical examination revealed diffuse tenderness, predominantly in the right lower quadrant (RLQ), mimicking appendicitis. Ultrasound and CT showed WS with torsion, showing the characteristic whirl sign. Emergency laparotomy revealed a 720-diploma splenic torsion with necrosis, necessitating splenectomy. The patient had an uneventful recovery and was discharged on postoperative day five.

DISCUSSION

WS is an extraordinary entity (<0.2 % occurrence) with a bimodal age distribution, often affecting adolescents and girls. It can be congenital or acquired and presents variably, from asymptomatic cases to acute abdomen. Torsion leads to vascular compromise, requiring prompt surgical intervention. This case was very interesting to the surgical team for its atypical presentation and its resemblance to perforated appendicitis.

CONCLUSION

WS must be considered in cases of acute abdomen with an absent spleen on imaging. Early recognition and surgical intervention are essential to prevent complications in patients with acute abdomen. Ultrasound and CT are critical for early detection and differentiation from different abdomen emergencies.

Volvulus of a wandering spleen in a pediatric patient

Wandering spleen is a rare condition in children that is often caused by the loss or weakening of the splenic ligaments. Its clinical presentation is variable; 64% of children with wandering spleen have splenic torsion as a complication. A 13-year-old boy who had been showing abdominal pain in the hypogastric region accompanied by vomit and an enormous tumefaction in the suprapubic region came to our observation. Considering the ovoid morphology at ultrasound exam, the echostructure and the marked reduction of parenchymal vascularization, suspicion for torsion of an ectopic spleen arose. Ultrasound evaluation has a primary role in the diagnosis of a suspected wandering spleen and, to avoid potentially life-threatening complications, immediate surgery is often times required.

Gastric outlet obstruction secondary to a wandering spleen: systematic review and surgical management of a case

INTRODUCTION

A wandering spleen occurs when laxity or absence of the suspensory ligaments allows migration throughout the abdomen. Gastric outlet obstruction resulting from this abnormality is rare. We present a systematic literature search and a case that was managed successfully with surgical intervention at our centre.

METHODS

A systematic search of the PubMed, Embase™, Medline® and Google Scholar™ databases was carried out employing the combined search terms "gastric outlet obstruction" AND "wandering spleen". Six results were included for final analysis.

RESULTS

All six search results described a single case each. Patients underwent surgical management (open or laparoscopic) after initial investigation utilising a range of modalities. There were no mortalities reported at 90 days. The single case we present was complicated by gastric perforation; the patient made a successful recovery following open splenopexy and stapled wedge resection of the stomach.

CONCLUSIONS

A wandering spleen is a rare diagnosis and there are only six reported cases of gastric outlet obstruction secondary to a wandering spleen in the literature. None report associated gastric perforation. There are a variety of presenting symptoms, intraoperative findings and operative techniques used to address the gastrosplenic abnormality. The case reported by our centre adds to this limited evidence base and demonstrates a successful outcome from definitive surgical management. We highlight the need to seek early gastro-oesophageal expertise if any gastric pathology is found together with anatomical abnormality of the spleen.

Surgical Approach of Wandering Spleen in Infants and Children: A Systematic Review

Introduction: Splenopexy has been proposed as the treatment of choice in case of wandering spleen (WS). We report our experience and review the current literature focusing on surgical management and outcomes of children affected by WS. Materials and Methods: Data regarding demographics, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and treatment of children treated for WS at our Institution were analyzed. Systematic review was registered on Prospero (CRD42018089971). Scientific databases were searched using defined keywords. Articles were selected using predefined exclusion and inclusion criteria. Analysis was conducted adding our center's cases. Results: One hundred sixty-six articles were included in the review, 197 cases were analyzed, 3 of which unpublished. Female/male ratio was 1.5:1 and median age at diagnosis was 8 years. Most frequent clinical manifestation was isolated abdominal pain (42.6%). Torsion of splenic pedicle was diagnosed in 56.3%. Among surgical procedures, 39% underwent splenopexy and 54.8% underwent splenectomy. In case of splenopexy, the most commonly used techniques were using of a mesh (45.5%) or creation of a retroperitoneal pouch (30.9%). In 48.2% of splenopexies, minimally invasive surgery (MIS) was used. Splenopexy was effective in 94.8% (88% considering only cases with a spleen torsion). Conclusion: WS is a rare condition potentially leading to torsion of the spleen. This entity has to be kept in mind as a differential diagnosis in case of abdominal pain. Splenopexy should be the treatment of choice; its success rate in terms of preserved spleens can be affected by the presence of a torted organ. Retroperitoneal pouch or mesh fixation are the most preferred techniques. Authors recommend MIS approach.

Wandering spleen in children: a report of 3 cases and a brief literature review underlining the importance of diagnostic imaging

BACKGROUND

Wandering spleen is a rare condition in children that is often caused by loss or weakening of the splenic ligaments. Its clinical presentation is variable; 64% of children with wandering spleen have splenic torsion as a complication.

OBJECTIVE

To provide up-to-date information on the diagnosis, clinical management and diagnostic imaging approaches for wandering spleen in infants and children and to underline the importance of color Doppler US and CT in providing important information for patient management.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We report a series of three children with wandering spleen treated at our children's hospital over the last 6 years. All three underwent clinical evaluation, color Doppler US and CT and were surgically treated. We also reviewed 40 articles that included 55 patients younger than 18 years reported in the Medline database from 2002 to 2012.

RESULTS

We correlated pathological data with imaging findings. Color Doppler US, the first imaging modality in investigating abdominal symptoms in children with suspected wandering spleen, yielded a diagnostic sensitivity of 54.9%, whereas CT achieved about 71.7%.

CONCLUSION

Radiologic evaluation has a major role in confirming the diagnosis of a suspected wandering spleen and avoiding potentially life-threatening complications requiring immediate surgery.

An unusual case of acute pancreatitis and gastric outlet obstruction associated with wandering spleen treated by laparoscopic splenopexy

Wandering spleen (WS) is an uncommon condition, usually asymptomatic, often recognized as an incidental finding. When symptoms occur, they can vary, although acute abdominal pain is the most common presentation in the pediatric population. In some cases, WS can become a dangerous condition because of the risk of splenic ischemia from persistent pedicle torsion. We describe a case of WS in a 3-year-old boy presenting with vomiting, abdominal swelling, and acute pancreatitis; the diagnosis was obtained by ultrasound and computed tomography. Laparoscopic splenopexy was successfully performed through an extraperitoneal pocket and a Vicryl mesh. To the best of our knowledge, the combination of gastric outlet obstruction and acute pancreatitis has never been reported as presenting symptoms of WS.

Laparoscopic Splenic Procedures in Children

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this report is to evaluate the efficacy of and complications observed after laparoscopic splenic procedures in children.

METHODS

Review of a prospective database at a single institution (1995-2006) identified 231 children (129 boys; 102 girls; average age 7.69 years) undergoing laparoscopic splenic procedures.

RESULTS

Two hundred twenty-three children underwent laparoscopic splenectomy (211 total; 12 partial) by the lateral approach. Indication for splenectomy was hereditary spherocytosis (111), immune thrombocytopenic purpura (36), sickle cell disease (SCD) (51), and other (25). Four (2%) required conversion to an open procedure. Eight additional laparoscopic splenic procedures were performed: splenic cystectomy for epithelial (4) or traumatic (2) cyst, and splenopexy for wandering spleen (2). Average length of stay was 1.5 days. Complications (11% overall, 22% in SCD patients) included ileus (5), bleeding (4), acute chest syndrome (5), pneumonia (2), portal vein thrombosis (1), priapism (1), hemolytic uremic syndrome (1), diaphragm perforation (2), colonic injury (1), missed accessory spleen (1), trocar site hernia (1), subsequent total splenectomy after an initial partial (1), and recurrent cyst (1). Subsequent operations were open in 3 (colon repair, hernia, and missed accessory spleen) and laparoscopic in 2 (completion splenectomy, and cyst excision). There were no deaths, wound infections, or instances of pancreatitis.

CONCLUSIONS

Laparoscopic splenic procedures are safe and effective in children and are associated with low morbidity, higher complication rate in SCD, low conversion rate, zero mortality, and short length of stay. Laparoscopic splenectomy has become the procedure of choice for most children requiring a splenic procedure.

Laparoscopic splenopexy and cystectomy for an enlarged wandering spleen and splenic cyst

Wandering spleen is an uncommon condition, which can present emergently in children. Similarly, nonparasitic splenic cysts are also rarely encountered. In this report, we describe a massive wandering spleen (22 cm in longitudinal dimension) with a pseudocyst (4.6 x 2 cm) in the inferior pole in an asymptomatic 16-year-old adolescent. Only 4 similar cases have been reported in the literature; 2 of them have been in the pediatric age group. These 2 conditions were diagnosed while she was being evaluated for dysmenorrhea, and she was referred for surgical consultation. The cyst was excised laparoscopically, and the spleen was placed into an extraperitoneal pouch. To date, there are no other reports describing laparoscopic cystectomy and splenopexy in a teenager.

Surgical Treatment of Patients with Wandering Spleen: Report of Six Cases with a review of the literature

Wandering spleen, which is defined as a spleen without peritoneal attachments, is a rare disease and a delay in the clinical and/or radiological diagnosis may lead to splenic torsion, infarction, and necrosis. Owing to the physiologic importance of the spleen, especially in children, and the risk of postsplenectomy sepsis, early diagnosis and splenopexy are recommended. In the present article, we describe the results of our management of this rare problem on six patients, and we review all available literature from 1895 to 2005. Briefly, our technique includes flap creation from parietal peritoneum and settlement of spleen in the fossa splenica. Free edges of this flap are stitched to the stomach and the left end of transverse colon and the beginning of the descending colon. The body of the stomach was stitched to the abdominal wall to prevent gastric volvulus, while the fundus region was fixed to the diaphragm to support the spleen. Finally, an omental patch was stitched to the intact abdominal wall above the flap. In conclusion, the procedure of splenopexy without using mesh is considered to be a safe and curative modality for wandering spleen without imposing any undue risk of infection or foreign material reaction.