Intrahepatic splenosis: a world review

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Radiology
• Pathology

Background:

• Splenosis involves the spread of splenic tissue throughout the body.
• Intrahepatic splenosis (IHS) is a rare form of splenosis, often difficult to diagnose.
• This review synthesizes current knowledge on IHS.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a comprehensive review of intrahepatic splenosis.
• To identify key diagnostic features and challenges associated with IHS.
• To summarize reported cases and their characteristics.

Main Methods:

• A literature review was conducted using the PubMed database.
• Fifty-six articles comprising 59 reported cases of IHS were included.
• Data extraction focused on patient demographics, risk factors, and diagnostic methods.

Main Results:

• The majority of IHS patients were male (83.1%) with a median age of 51.
• Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) risk factors like hepatitis B and cirrhosis were present in some cases.
• Most patients were asymptomatic (62.7%) and lacked HCC risk factors (55.9%).

Conclusions:

• A diagnostic triad for IHS includes a history of splenectomy/trauma, absence of HCC risk factors, and characteristic imaging findings.
• Technetium-99m-tagged heat-damaged red blood cell scintigraphy is a valuable non-invasive diagnostic tool.
• Malignancy must be excluded in patients with HCC risk factors.