The effect of exercise on normal splenic volume measured with SPECT

In a study group of 20 healthy young men, splenic volume was determined with SPECT before and after exercise. A randomly chosen control group of 10 comparable men was studied similarly, but without exercise intervention. The mean splenic volume did not change significantly in the control group (i.e., from 292.9 ml to 282.1 ml [P = 0.75]). The mean splenic volume decreased 60.1 ml from 279.4 to 219.3 ml (21.5%) in the study group and this was highly significant (P = 0.01). Although exercise induced splenic autotransfusion is generally considered to be unimportant in humans, significant splenic contractility was observed with this technique. In the normal individual with a large spleen or with functional splenomegaly, the contractility response may become more important and can now be measured in a quick and easy manner.