Laparoscopic treatment of splenosis: report of a case

A 52-year-old woman with a history of splenectomy for a splenic injury 45 years earlier underwent investigations for a pre-existing gynecologic disease. Contrast-enhanced abdominal computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a tumor, 3 cm in diameter, adjacent to the sigmoid colon, suggestive of a gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST). Laparoscopic exploration revealed a white mass protruding from the subserosa of the sigmoid colon, and we performed laparoscopic-assisted sigmoidectomy to rule out a GIST. Pathological studies showed splenic tissue, thus confirming a diagnosis of splenosis, given the history of splenic injury. This case of splenosis mimicking GIST following splenic injury was diagnosed correctly and treated successfully with laparoscopic surgery. To our knowledge, this is the first case of splenosis treated with laparoscopic colectomy with no tumor extirpation.