Splenic hemorrhage in a neonate of a mother on anticonvulsant therapy

A 24-hour-old male infant was referred to the Eastern Maine Medical Center (EMMC) because of pallor, lethargy, and abdominal distention. Diagnostic abdominal paracentesis revealed free blood. At surgery hemisplenectomy removed the damaged part of the spleen followed by complete recovery of the infant. A liver-spleen scan, performed before discharge, revealed normal uptake in the remaining portion of the spleen.