Splenosis of the Mesoappendix with Acute Appendicitis: A Case Report

Pelvic mass causing hematospermia: splenosis

Background

Most patients with splenosis have no clinical symptoms and do not need intervention. Hematospermia and testicular pain occurred in this patient, which was considered to be related to the huge pelvic implantation of the spleen, which was relatively rare in clinical practice, so we hereby report this case.

Case presentation

A 28-year-old male patient with a history of splenectomy was admitted to the Urology Department of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University with the chief complaint of "Hematospermia for 1 month and testicular pain for 2 days". Preoperative imaging examination indicated pelvic mass. Combined with the patient's history of splenectomy for splenic rupture in childhood, the possibility of pelvic spleen implantation was considered. Laparoscopic pelvic exploration was performed. During the operation, multiple grayish-brown nodular tissues were observed in the space between the posterior bladder and rectum, and a lobulated grayish-brown mass with a diameter of about 9 cm was observed in the posterior upper part of the prostate gland and seminal vesicle at the pelvic floor. Two nodular tissues were removed intraoperatively and sent for quick frozen pathology, which was reported as spleen tissue. Further resection of the huge mass was performed, and the postoperative pathological results were consistent with the diagnosis of splenosis.

Conclusion

We report a rare case of splenosis presenting with hemospermia and testicular pain.

Abdominal and pelvic splenosis: atypical findings, pitfalls, and mimics

Splenosis is an acquired form of ectopic splenic tissue that typically arises after trauma or splenectomy. It is often an incidental image finding in an otherwise asymptomatic patient, but the spectrum of symptoms varies based on the site of implantation. Radiologists should be familiar with the imaging features of splenosis to avoid mistaking it for malignancy. Splenosis has identical imaging features to that of the native spleen on US, CT, MRI, and nuclear medicine examinations. Therefore, when the radiologic findings support the diagnosis of splenosis, the patient can be spared invasive procedures for tissue sampling.