Splenic injury as a complication of endoscopy: two case reports and a literature review

Two cases of splenic injury - one after a difficult colonoscopy and the other after routine ERCP - are reported. Splenic injury as a complication of endoscopic procedures is relatively rare, but over the past several years this complication has been increasingly reported. Review of the literature revealed 11 cases occurring after colonoscopy and one after ERCP. Although most of the patients presented with acute abdominal symptoms, some had mild vague symptoms. In two cases the injury was overlooked entirely. Diagnosis was established at laparotomy in four cases, by CT in four, by ultrasonography in two, by chance observation in two, by angiography in one and by paracentesis in one. All patients except the most recent three reported underwent surgery, with one mortality occurring three weeks after the operation.