[Diagnostic laparotomy with splenectomy in lymphogranulomatosis in children]

Diagnostic laparotomy aimed at identification of the stage of the process and splenectomy were conducted in 370 children (aged 2.5-16 years) suffering from Hodgkin's disease. Preoperatively, the clinical stage distribution of patients was as follows: stage I-34 patients (9.2%), II-210 (56.8%), III-108 (29.2%) and IV-18 (4.9%). Postoperatively, morphological stage I was established in 26, stage II-132, stage III-182 and stage IV-in 30 cases (7.0, 35.7, 49.2 and 8.1%, respectively). Stage was revised in 126 out of 370 patients (34.1%), i. e. in more than a third of cases. Specific lesions of the spleen occurred in 172 cases (46.5%), hepatic lesions--in 22 (5.9%). Explorative laparotomy is of high diagnostic value in stage identification in pediatric Hodgkin's disease. It is instrumental in obtaining bioptates for morphological examination. Splenectomy was not followed by any changes in the frequency of infectious diseases in children patients with Hodgkin's disease.