Splenectomy may be a prophylactic treatment for cerebral ischemia?

Cerebral ischemia, a phenomenon of reduction in cerebral blood flow, accounts for approximately 80% of all strokes, the third leading cause of death and the leading cause of adult disability. Cerebral ischemia causes heterogeneous changes in tissue oxygenation and cellular metabolism. Focal brain ischemia induces a profound and long-lasting inflammatory reaction which is dominated by macrophages derived from both resident microglia and circulating monocytic precursors. Bone marrow and spleen serve as a reservoir for hematopoietic progenitor cells, especially in rodents. Spleen-derived mononuclear cells home to the site of vascular injury and reduced neointima formation. The migration and engraftment of systematically administered spleen-derived mononuclear cells can be visualized in the post-ischemic brain. Therefore, we hypothesise that removal of the spleen may possibly decrease the production of mononuclear cells, and thus hinder or relieve the inflammatory reaction occured after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. So, the splenectomy may be a prophylactic treatment method for cerebral ischemia.