Thoracic splenosis: noninvasive diagnosis using Technetium-99 sulfur colloid

Splenosis is the autotransplantation of splenic tissue to abnormal sites, either the abdomen or thorax, following traumatic injury of the spleen. For splenic tissue to reach the thorax, there must be concomitant diaphragmatic injury. Thoracic splenosis is usually discovered incidentally on routine thoracic imaging as single or multiple, indeterminate pleural-based masses limited to the left hemithorax. Traditionally, diagnosis required invasive procedures and/or surgery to acquire tissue samples in order to rule out other causes of lung masses, ie, cancer. We report a case in which nuclear imaging was used to make the diagnosis of thoracic splenosis, thus preventing the need for invasive procedures and avoiding unnecessary patient apprehension.