Complementary use of computerized tomography and technetium scanning in the diagnosis of accessory spleen

A patient with a previous splenectomy presented with acute gastrointestinal bleeding. He was found to have a benign gastric ulcer, esophagogastric varices, and a mass indenting the gastric fundus. Abdominal computerized tomography and technetium liver-spleen scanning established the diagnosis of an accessory spleen as cause for the mass effect. This diagnostic approach obviated the need for arteriography and exploratory laparotomy.