Surgical Approach of Wandering Spleen in Infants and Children: A Systematic Review

Wandering spleen: An unsuspected presentation at a general hospital in Uganda

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE

Wandering spleen is an uncommon condition marked by splenic hypermobility due to laxity or underdevelopment of the supporting splenic ligaments. Patients may be asymptomatic, have a palpable mass in the abdomen, or exhibit acute, long-lasting, or sporadic symptoms as a result of the spleen's pedicle torsion. The management should be determined by the spleen's vitality.

CASE PRESENTATION

We report a case of a 29-year-old male who presented with a 5-year history of progressive abdominal swelling, surgically managed as an intrabdominal tumor at a general hospital in Uganda, with a postoperative confirmation of a wandering spleen.

CLINICAL DISCUSSION

Wandering spleen is a rare condition both in high- and low-income countries. Clinical presentations vary from an asymptomatic abdominal mass to acute abdominal pain due to vascular pedicle torsion leading to splenic infarction. When possible, splenopexy is the procedure of choice, especially in children and in tropical countries, to avoid post-splenectomy sepsis. Splenectomy is the definitive treatment for spleen fracture, spleen infarction, or symptoms that recur after splenopexy.

CONCLUSION

Wandering spleen is a rare differential diagnosis of intrabdominal tumor that must be considered in patients with a palpable abdominal mass with or without acute or chronic abdominal pain. Though a CT scan is the best method to confirm the diagnosis, the radiologist's and surgeon's experience and keenness seem very vital in making the correct diagnosis. Intraoperative complete abdominal exploration by the surgeon is essential to confirm the radiological findings, to enhance the diagnosis, and to make the best treatment decision.

Wandering small intestinal stromal tumor: A case report

BACKGROUND

The occurrence of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) in the small intestine is rare, and a case of wandering small intestinal stromal tumor has been rarely reported to date. Dissemination of this case can help inform future diagnosis and effective treatment.

CASE SUMMARY

A 68-year-old patient presented to us with tarry stools. Computed tomography showed a mobile tumor moving widely within the abdominal cavity. As the laboratory data showed a low range of red blood cells and an immediate surgery was not indicated, we performed digital subtraction angiography and embolization to achieve hemostasis. Surgical resection was performed after the patient’s condition improved. The tumor was successfully removed laparoscopically. Histological examination revealed submucosal GIST with infarction, which was of intermediate-risk, with mitotic count < 1 per 10 high-power field. Immunohistochemical studies revealed the following: CD117+, Dog1+, CD34+, SMA+, S100-, CK-, Des-, SOX-11-, STAT6-, Ki67 Hotspots 10%+. The patient was ultimately diagnosed with wandering small intestinal stromal tumor.

CONCLUSION

When a highly vascularized tumor is clinically encountered in the small intestine, the possibility of stromal tumors should be considered. However, when the tumor cannot be visualized at its original location, the possibility of tumor migration is considered.

Diagnosis and treatment of splenic torsion in children: preoperative thrombocytosis predicts splenic infarction

Background

Pediatric splenic torsion is a rare entity, and the most common cause is wandering spleen. This study aimed to summarize our clinical experience in the diagnosis and surgical treatment pediatric patients with splenic torsion, and to use preoperative thrombocytosis as a preoperative predictive factor for splenic infarction.

Methods

From January 1st, 2016 to December 31st, 2021, 6 children diagnosed as splenic torsion were included. All patients were surgically treated and followed up. The clinical data was collected including clinical presentations, laboratory tests, imaging results, surgical procedures, and prognosis. Clinical experience of diagnosis and surgical treatment were summarized.

Results

There were 4 females and 2 males, with median age at surgery 102.6 (range 9.4–170.7) months. Abdominal pain and abdominal mass were the most common presentations. The diagnosis of splenic torsion depended on imaging studies, and adjacent organ involvement (gastric and pancreas torsion) was observed on contrast CT in one patient. Five patients were diagnosed as torsion of wandering spleen, and one was torsion of wandering accessory spleen. Emergent laparoscopic or open splenectomy was performed in all patients. Pathology revealed total splenic infarction in 4 patients, partial infarction in 1 patient, and viable spleen with congestion and hemorrhage in 1 patient. Preoperative platelet counts were elevated in all 4 patients with splenic infarction, but normal in the rest 2 with viable spleen. Postoperative transient portal vein branch thromboembolism occurred in one patient.

Conclusions

Imaging modalities are crucial for the diagnosis of pediatric splenic torsion and adjacent organ involvement. Preoperative thrombocytosis may predict splenic infarction. Spleen preserving surgery should be seriously considered over splenectomy in patients with a viable spleen.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12887-022-03484-y.

Torsion of a Wandering Spleen Involving the Pancreatic Tail and Splenic Flexure and Isolated Left-Sided Portal Hypertension due to Chronic Splenic Vein Thrombosis

Wandering spleen is a rare entity, wherein the spleen is attached only by an elongated vascular pedicle, predisposing it to complications like hilar torsion, infarction, rupture, etc. Pancreatic volvulus is another very rare anomaly, with isolated case reports described in association with wandering spleen. The presentation varies from asymptomatic lump (stimulating a mass) to acute abdomen (due to torsion). We present a case of 26-year-old female patient who complained of pain in abdomen, and was radiologically diagnosed and surgically confirmed to have a torsion of wandering spleen with involvement of pancreatic tail and splenic flexure. Few cases with associated finding of gastric volvulus and sigmoid volvulus have been described previously. Involvement of descending colon in a 9-year-old child has been reported. However, to the authors' knowledge, this is the first case report describing the combination of wandering spleen with splenic flexure and pancreatic tail involvement in an adult.

Patients with gastric volvulus recurrence have high incidence of wandering spleen requiring laparoscopic gastropexy and splenopexy

PURPOSE

Though gastric volvulus in neonates and infants resolves by conservative therapy and aging, some cases require surgical intervention. This study aimed to review the cases of gastric volvulus requiring surgical intervention and evaluate their characteristics.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed gastric volvulus cases requiring surgical intervention. Surgical indication was persistent acute gastric volvulus and repeated hospitalization for gastric volvulus. We evaluated the characteristics of those cases requiring surgical intervention and the surgical results of laparoscopic gastropexy.

RESULTS

The median age of patients included was 4 years (range: 1-6 years). All eight cases of gastric volvulus requiring sugery had congenital spleen diseases. Six of the eight cases suffered from a wandering spleen, while two cases presented with situs inversus with asplenia. Both splenopexy (preperitoneal distension balloon [PDB] or blunt separaion methods) and gastropexy were performed in cases with wandering spleen. No postoperative complications were reported in any of the eight cases, except the recurrence of gastric volvulus due to suture shedding in one case.

CONCLUSION

Laparoscopic gastropexy for gastric volvulus and splenopexy for cases concomitant with wandering spleen were found to be effective surgical approaches. Both PDB and blunt separation methods for making extraperitoneal pockets for the spleen were employed successfully.

Wandering Spleen: A Rare Case of an Adnexal Lesion

The wandering spleen (WS) is a rare condition in which the spleen is not found in its usual location in the left hypochondrium but is positioned in the lower abdomen or the pelvis. This is a case of a 21-year-old woman who presented with chronic, intermittent, and subtle pain in the left lower quadrant of her abdomen. After clinical examination and ultrasound evaluation, an adnexal lesion was detected in the left lumbar area, and no splenic tissue was found in the left hypochondrium. The wandering spleen should be included in the differential diagnosis when encountering a patient with non-typical or acute abdominal pain. Accurate diagnostic evaluation can be performed with low-cost imaging modalities such as Doppler ultrasound.

Torsion of spleen and portal hypertension: Pathophysiology and clinical implications

The displacement of spleen from its normal location to other places is known as wandering spleen (WS) and is a rare disease. The repeated torsion of WS is due to the presence of long pedicle and absence/laxity of anchoring ligaments. A WS is an extremely rare cause of left-sided portal hypertension (PHT) and severe gastric variceal bleeding. Left-sided PHT usually occurs as a result of splenic vein occlusion caused by splenic torsion, extrinsic compression of the splenic pedicle by enlarged spleen, and splenic vein thrombosis. There is a paucity of data on WS-related PHT, and these data are mostly in the form of case reports. In this review, we have analyzed the data of 20 reported cases of WS-related PHT. The mechanisms of pathogenesis, clinico-demographic profile, and clinical implications are described in this article. The majority of patients were diagnosed in the second to third decade of life (mean age: 26 years), with a strong female preponderance (M:F = 1:9). Eleven of the 20 WS patients with left-sided PHT presented with abdominal pain and mass. In 6 of the 11 patients, varices were detected incidentally on preoperative imaging studies or discovered intraoperatively. Therefore, pre-operative search for varices is required in patients with splenic torsion.