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Enlarged accessory spleens: CT appearance in postsplenectomy patients
AJR. American Journal of Roentgenology
|September 1, 1980
Summary
Enlarged accessory spleens can mimic abdominal masses in patients without a spleen. These hypertrophied spleens appear as rounded, soft-tissue density masses on CT scans, confirmable with radionuclide imaging.
Area of Science:
- Radiology
- Abdominal Imaging
- Surgical Pathology
Background:
- Post-splenectomy patients may present with unexplained abdominal masses.
- Accessory spleens can hypertrophy and become clinically significant.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the CT appearance of hypertrophied accessory spleens in postsplenectomy patients.
- To differentiate these masses from other pathologies.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of CT examinations in six postsplenectomy patients.
- Correlation with pathological findings and radionuclide imaging.
Main Results:
- Six patients exhibited left upper quadrant masses on CT.
- These masses were confirmed as enlarged accessory spleens.
- CT findings included discrete, solitary, rounded masses with uniform soft-tissue density (3.5-5.0 cm diameter).
Conclusions:
- Hypertrophied residual accessory spleens are a potential cause of abdominal masses in postsplenectomy patients.
- CT imaging characteristics are described.
- Radionuclide imaging can confirm the splenic nature of these masses.