A case report of abdominal splenosis - a practical mini-review for a gastroenterologist

Splenosis is a benign condition caused by ectopic autotransplantation of splenic tissues after splenic trauma or surgery. It is usually diagnosed accidentally. However, occasionally splenosis poses a significant diagnostic dilemma, especially when this condition presents as a metastatic malignant disease on abdominal imaging. This is the case report of a 54-year-old woman, who underwent post-traumatic splenectomy at the age of 12 years. The physical examination of this patient complaining of epigastric and low back pain, except for postoperative abdominal scar, as well as laboratory tests were normal. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy showed chronic gastritis. Abdominal ultrasound revealed no spleen, enlarged lymph nodes in the right retroperitoneum and a focal lesion in the uterus. In addition, the CT scan disclosed enlarged left hepatic lobe, numerous oval tumors between intestinal loops, in the caecal region, under the diaphragm and abdominal wall, periaortic enlarged lymph nodes and an osteolytic lesion in the first lumbar vertebra, suggesting disseminated malignant disease. The exploratory laparotomy showed multiple abdominal nodules, a tumor of the ileum, the greater omentum and the uterus. Except for the last one (leiomyoma), all excised tumors proved to have histological structure typical for the spleen and, finally, abdominal splenosis was diagnosed. Splenosis should be considered when a differential diagnosis of tumor-like lesions disclosed on abdominal imaging occurs in a patient with a splenic injury in the past.