Rupture of a calcified, non-parasitic splenic cyst after indirect trauma

A 31 year old man sustained head injuries in a motor vehicle accident. Subsequent events led to paracentesis of bloody fluid and exploratory laparotomy and splenectomy. Pathological examination disclosed rupture of a calcified, non-parasitic splenic cyst, which, in retrospect, could have been diagnosed on the admission chest roentgenogram. The incidence, origin and pathology of splenic cysts is discussed.