Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 3, 2026
A Mouse Model of Vascularized Heterotopic Spleen Transplantation for Studying Spleen Cell Biology and Transplant Immunity
Published on: June 11, 2019
Should all splenectomised patients be vaccinated to avoid OPSI? Revisiting an old concept: an Italian retrospective
Isidoro Di Carlo1, Stefano Primo, Elia Pulvirenti
1Department of Surgical Sciences, Organ Transplantation and Advanced Technologies, University of Catania Cannizzaro Hospital, Catania, Italy. idicarlo@unict.it
Background/Aims:
[corrected] The aims of this study were to evaluate the incidence of overwhelming postsplenectomy infection (OPSI), the usefulness of vaccination in preventing OPSI, and whether affected patients had received the current best practice preventive measures.
Methodology:
The patients, observed from June 1991 to May 2005, were reviewed retrospectively. Gender, age, causes of splenectomy, vaccinations and complications were studied.
Results:
225 patients (178 males, 47 females) underwent splenectomy, and of these, 79 patients (35.1%) were considered for the present study. Seven patients (8.8%) were informed about the risks of infection and received pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine after splenectomy. Sixty-eight patients (86.7%) receive influenza vaccine every year. One of the patients that did not receive immunoprophylaxis had OPSI (incidence 1.26%) 1 year after splenectomy.
Conclusion:
Vaccination seems to prevent OPSI. Because of low incidence of OPSI, however, prospective randomised studies in patients without risk factors are needed to evaluate the usefulness of immunoprophylaxis.
Related Concept Videos
01:51Vaccinations
01:24Smallpox
01:17Poliomyelitis
01:30Cancer Vaccines
Cancer vaccines come in two categories: preventive (prophylactic) and treatment (active). Preventive vaccines, such as the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, protect against viruses that cause certain...