Splenic injuries following upper endoscopic procedures: a systematic review of cases

Splenic injury is a rare complication of upper endoscopic procedures described in case reports. These injuries can result in significant morbidity due to the spleen's vascularity and propensity for intraperitoneal bleeds. This review aims to collect data regarding patient characteristics, procedural factors, clinical presentations and treatment courses for analysis.

A systematic review of case reports on PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science was conducted for splenic injuries following upper endoscopic procedures (as of 14 July 2023). A total of 52 cases from 50 reports were included. All cases were from case reports or series, including conference abstracts, published in English. Cases were excluded if they were: not published in English; dealt with splenic injuries not following upper endoscopic procedures, including colonoscopy; documented a later complication of an upper endoscopic procedure, such as a migrating stent; not case reports or case series, such as review articles. Risk of bias was analyzed with Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal tools. Cases were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

The mean age was 56 years, with a median of 55 years, and a range of 21-86 years. Prior abdominal surgeries were identified in 31% of cases (16/52), and chronic pancreatitis in 15% (9/52). Procedural difficulty was reported in 21% (11/52). Most occurred following endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) (71%, 37/52). Common symptoms were abdominal pain (79%, 41/52), hypotension and/or tachycardia (67%, 35/52), and postoperative drops in hemoglobin (58%, 30/52). Mean time to symptom onset was 21 hours, with a median of 4 hours, and a range of 0-144 hours. Most were diagnosed with computerized tomography (69%, 36/52), followed by laparotomy (17%, 9/52). Most were treated surgically (76%, 40/52). Most patients recovered fully (82%, 42/51).

Splenic injury is a rare complication of upper endoscopy that should be considered given the risk for delayed diagnosis and mortality. Most patients presented with abdominal pain and signs of hemorrhagic shock, although many had delayed onset of symptoms. Potential risk factors include prior abdominal surgeries, chronic pancreatitis, and difficult or prolonged procedures. Our review was limited by a low number of cases and inconsistent reporting of variables, which limited our statistical analysis.