[Benign non-parasitic cysts of the spleen]

The present retrospective study is related to 7 cases of non-parasitic splenic cysts, 5 post-traumatic and 2 true epidermoid. Symptoms of displacement and pressure on adjacent viscera or physical examination showing an enlarged spleen have caused the beginning of diagnostic investigation in some patients, in others the cyst has been incidentally discovered. The young age and the positive history for prior trauma suggest for pseudocyst but they didn't give us absolute value. We have valued the contribution of the different radiological techniques (scintigraphy, US, CT, selective celiac arteriography, percutaneous biopsy) in the diagnosis of these lesions. The CT has shown to be the gold standard but it wasn't able to distinguish the post-traumatic from true splenic cysts. Such diagnosis is often not sure neither thought the histological study since the epithelial lining typical of the true cysts may have partially or completely destroyed by secondary alterations. However it can be observed also in the pseudocysts by proliferation of epithelial cells included in the traumatic hematoma. Surgery is primarily recommended for the prevention of complications as infection, hemorrhage, rupture in both types of cysts. Partial splenectomy according to the anatomic vascular distribution have permitted in 3/7 cases to resect the cyst preserving the functioning splenic tissue avoiding the long-term adverse effects of splenectomy.