Partial splenectomy for a splenic cyst

Partial splenectomy for a large splenic cyst was performed in a seven-year-old girl referred for splenomegaly. The increased risk of sepsis in splenectomized patients induced the successful attempt at partial splenectomy. The surgical procedure described involved removal of the cyst while preserving as much of the spleen as possible. In view of the planocellular epithelial lining, the pathological diagnosis was of a rare congenital, intrasplenic cyst.