[Splenic injuries: diagnosis and therapy (with reference to organ saving/replantation)]

Diagnosis of splenic injury is influenced by both the type of injury and the diagnostic possibilities at the place of evaluation. Noninvasive examination with ultrasonography, computed tomography, or radionuclide scanning detects the injury. If not available diagnostic peritoneal lavage can indicate the necessity of laparotomy. Splenic salvage is the treatment of choice in splenic injury. Selective non-operative treatment of blunt trauma, splenorrhaphy, and partial splenectomy were used successfully to preserve 67% of injured spleens. Clinical and experimental findings indicate that replantation of splenic autologous tissue will not protect the host from septicemia.