Intraoperative sonography of perisplenic pseudocysts

Three patients with pseudocysts of the pancreas affecting the spleen were examined with intraoperative sonography, which demarcated the fluid collections either within the pancreas (two cases), in the splenic hilum (one case), encapsulating the spleen (one case), or along the lateral aspect of the spleen (one case). This method was useful in defining the location of the cysts, distinguishing one from another, determining the relation of the cyst to adjacent organs, and assessing the adequacy of the surgical drainage.