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Updated: Aug 9, 2026

Robot-Assisted Radical Antegrade Modular Pancreatosplenectomy Including Resection and Reconstruction of the Spleno-Mesenteric Junction
Published on: January 3, 2020
[Polysplenia with partial abdominal visceral heterotaxia and small pancreas]
A Naranjo Gómez1, J C Rodríguez Sanjuán, F Casado Martín
1Servicio de Cirugía General y del Aparato Digestivo, Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla, Santander.
Insights
Polysplenia syndrome, a rare congenital condition, typically presents in childhood. This case highlights a rare asymptomatic adult diagnosis of polysplenia with complex abdominal abnormalities.
Area of Science:
- Medical Genetics
- Developmental Biology
- Radiology
Background:
- Polysplenia syndrome is a complex congenital disorder characterized by multiple spleens and associated visceral abnormalities.
- It commonly presents in childhood due to severe outcomes, with adult diagnosis being infrequent.
- Associated anomalies include heterotaxy, vascular defects, and biliary malformations.
Abstract:
Several morphological congenital abnormalities are associated in the polysplenia syndrome: partial visceral abdominal heterotaxy, levoisomerism, abdominal vascular abnormalities, cardiac and extrahepatic biliary malformations and polysplenia. The syndrome is usually apparent during childhood because of its severe outcome; its detection during adult life is rare. We present a 42-years-old patient, asymptomatic, with right sided polysplenia and stomach, intestinal malrotation, centrally located liver with both lobes of similar size, preduodenal portal vein, interruption of the inferior caval vein with continuation via the azygos vein. There were no cardiac malformations nor lung levoisomerism. The pancreas was atrophic, an occasionally described finding. CT scan may be useful for the study of this patients in order to identify every anatomic abnormality, and plan for future surgical operations.
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