Splenectomy and splenic slice grafting in the management of thalassemia

Over the last decade and a half, we performed a splenectomy along with slice grafting of the spleen in 170 (beta28 and Ebeta 142) transfusion-dependent, high-risk thalassemic patients. Of these, 17 were selected for study of the fate of the grafts and their immune status before and after operation. The procedure had equally good advantages of splenectomy and immunoconservation as partial splenectomy, partial splenic embolization, or partial splenic dearterialization, if not better, but none of the disadvantages of the other procedures.