Challenge of diagnosing splenic torsion in a paediatric patient with gastroschisis

Gastroschisis is an uncommon congenital defect of the abdominal wall resulting in intestinal prolapse, most commonly associated with short gut syndrome or bowel obstruction. Wandering spleen, movement of the spleen due to the underdevelopment of splenic ligaments, has a prevalence of 0.25% and is asymptomatic in 15% of paediatric cases. An 11-year-old patient, admitted with a history of gastroschisis repaired at birth, presents with 18 months of intermittent, worsening abdominal pain. Imaging demonstrated splenomegaly and tortuosity of the splenic vein with abnormal positioning of the superior mesenteric artery and vein. The patient was found to have a wandering spleen with subacute splenic infarct secondary to splenic torsion, necessitating emergent surgical intervention. This patient experienced an extremely rare complication of gastroschisis that has not previously been reported. This complication is caused by a lack of appropriate abdominal fixation points for the spleen.