Wandering spleen in childhood: a report of three cases

Wandering spleen is a rare cause of abdominal pain in children, and an accurate diagnosis is seldom made preoperatively. A splenectomy is the treatment of choice in cases of splenic torsion and infarction, while in patients with chronic symptoms splenopexy may also be attempted. We herein report three patients with wandering spleen, of whom two presented with acute torsion of the splenic pedicle and one demonstrated an asymptomatic mobile abdominal mass. In the first case splenopexy was attempted, but during follow-up the spleen was found to have undergone atrophy. The presentation, diagnostic procedures, and treatment modalities in pediatric wandering spleen are reviewed.