[Splenic abscess. Diagnosis and treatment]

A diagnosis of hospital discharges shows splenic abscess to be a rare condition, with one case per 10,000 discharges. Haematogenous seeding to the spleen from an infection at a distant site, most often endocarditis, has been the most common predisposing condition but an increase has been observed in immuno-suppressed patients too. Fever, leukocytosis and left upper quadrant pain are suggestive, but the signs and symptoms of splenic abscesses are often non-specific. Ultrasound and computed tomography are reliable diagnostic tools. Splenectomy and antibiotics have been the treatments of choice, with increasing use of percutaneous drainage as an alternative, in order to preserve splenic function. We describe a patient with a salmonella splenic abscess that was treated with percutaneous drainage and ciprofloxacin.