Accessory Spleen in the Splenic Hilum: a Cadaveric Study with Clinical Significance

An accessory spleen is an additional tissue of the spleen that may be found near the spleen. It is a congenital anomaly of the spleen that its incidence has been reported 10-30% of the population. Hence, the objective of this study was evaluation the incidence of accessory spleen in Iranian cadavers.

Sixty hundred and ninety three spleens (541 males, 152 females) were excised from cadavers in the dissection hall of Mashhad Forensic Medicine Organization cadavers. Inclusion criteria were as follows: Fresh Iranian cadavers with no history of alcohol, poisoning or drug abuse, and no evidence of pathologic abnormality or injury to the spleen. The presence of accessory spleens, its dimension and weight investigated in cadavers.

During routine postmortem examination, five cases with an accessory spleen were found in the autopsy laboratory of Mashhad legal Medicine Organization between June 2014 and July 2015. Of the cases, 3 were male and 2 were female. The accessory spleens were observed at the splenic hilum. The length of the accessory spleens ranged from 2-3.5 cm, while the range of width was between 0.5 and 2.5 cm. The accessory spleens were confirmed by histological examination.

An accessory spleen has clinical importance in some locations. When an accessory spleen is situated in another site, it may mimic some tumors such as pancreatic tumor and adrenal tumor. In addition, accessory spleen may cause hyperplasia after splenectomy and be responsible for a recurrence of the hematological disorders.