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Updated: May 21, 2026
03:19
Point-of-Care Kidney and Genitourinary Ultrasound in Adults: Image Acquisition
Published on: June 21, 2024
Right abdominal mass in a 2 year-old child
Constantinos A Parisinos1, Ibrahim Matter, Jeorge G Mogilner
1Department of Internal Medicine, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK. c.a.parisinos@gmail.com
BMJ Case Reports
|June 8, 2012
Summary
A wandering spleen, a rare condition, presented as a lower right quadrant mass in a child two years after congenital diaphragmatic hernia repair. The spleen was successfully repositioned using laparoscopic surgery.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Surgery
- Gastrointestinal Surgery
- Congenital Abnormalities
Background:
- Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is a serious birth defect requiring surgical repair.
- Post-surgical complications can include rare presentations of intra-abdominal organ displacement.
- A wandering spleen is characterized by abnormal splenic mobility due to a lack of normal peritoneal fixation.
Observation:
- A 2-year-old child, two years status post transabdominal left diaphragmatic hernia repair, presented with a right lower quadrant abdominal mass.
- The mass was identified as a wandering spleen.
- No immediate complications were noted during the diagnostic workup.
Findings:
- Laparoscopic surgical intervention was performed to address the wandering spleen.
- The spleen was successfully repositioned and fixed within an extraperitoneal pouch.
- This approach aimed to prevent splenic torsion and ensure adequate blood supply.
Implications:
- This case highlights the importance of considering rare complications after diaphragmatic hernia repair.
- Laparoscopic techniques offer a minimally invasive option for managing wandering spleen in pediatric patients.
- Early diagnosis and surgical management are crucial to avoid splenic infarction and other severe outcomes.
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