A rare wandering splenic cyst removed with laparoscopic assistance

This is a report of the first case of a true cyst arising in a wandering spleen. Laparoscopic splenectomy was attempted. The spleen was mobilized under laparoscopic control and the cyst aspirated. Dissection of the pedicle was technically feasible. However, the procedure was aborted due to uncontrollable bleeding from a moderate-sized artery. Although the whole procedure was not completed laparoscopically, laparoscopic assistance facilitated extirpation of the spleen through a 5-cm oblique left iliac fossa incision in a minimally invasive fashion.