["Spontaneous", "delayed" and "occult" ruptures of the normal and pathologic spleen. Nosologic classification]

The anatomic particularities and the diversity of the splenic pathology determine a wide spectrum of the traumatic lesions of the spleen. The classical acute rupture with consecutive hemoperitoneum and mandatory surgical indication is opposed to the controversial "spontaneous" ruptures of the normal and pathologic spleen and also to the delayed and occult ruptures the lasts of them sometimes minimal or with chronic evolution. A series of eight cases all males with ages between 40-77 years is presented in order to exemplify all these entities. There are underlined the variety of etiologic conditions, the difficulties of the diagnosis which impose an insistent anamnesis and clinical examination (searching even a "trivial" trauma) completed with ultrasonography and CT scan which are preferred to radionuclide scan of arteriography and finally peritoneal lavage after punction, laparoscopy and even laparotomy. Splenectomy--often laborious--was effective in all our patients (obviously only temporary for the cases with nonhodgkin malignant lymphoma and respectively with splenic metastasis from a renal carcinoma). In some situations--especially in children--the conservative treatment can be considered.