[Sudden abdominal pain...is it a surprise? Necrosis of an ectopic spleen]

An ectopic/wandering spleen is rare in children. It results from the absence or laxity of the supporting ligaments which may cause torsion of the splenic pedicle with subsequent infarction. We present a case of a six-year-old girl, with history of onphalocele, dextrocardia and ectopic spleen (incidentally discovered three years ago as an abdominal mass on physical examination), with acute abdominal pain and signs of peritoneal irritation. Sonography showed an enlarged ectopic spleen in the pelvis. Computed tomography scan did not enable visualization of the spleen and allowed the identification of a pelvic mass without uptake of intravenous contrast. Splenectomy was performed due to splenic infarction. In the presence of a wandering spleen, even if asymptomatic, splenopexy may be performed to minimize complications, and together with acute abdominal pain, torsion of splenic pedicle may be considered.