Characterization of Patients Operated on for Non-traumatic Splenic Diseases

Background: the spleen is an important organ, especially in childhood. Splenic surgery is a treatment option for several diseases. The use of conservative techniques is increasingly advocated due to the role of the spleen in immunity in pediatric patients. Objectives: to identify the characteristics of patients operated on for non-traumatic diseases of the spleen and to describe the outcome of surgical treatment. Methods: a retrospective study of all patients who underwent splenic surgery for non-traumatic reasons was conducted in the Paquito Gonz·lez Cueto University Pediatric Hospital of Cienfuegos from 1994 through 2011. The study variables were: age, underlying disease, type of surgery, clinical and hematological criteria that led to surgery, postoperative complications, and surgical outcomes. Descriptive statistics, frequencies, and percentages were used. Results were presented in graphs and statistical tables. Results: most patients were 5 to 9 years old. Half of all study patients underwent splenectomy for immune thrombocytopenia. The most commonly used surgical treatment was total splenectomy, and partial splenectomy in children with sickle cell anemia and �≤-thalassemia. The most common clinical and hematological criterion for surgery was immune thrombocytopenia (50 % of cases). Few complications were reported in the immediate postoperative period, and 81, 25 % had a satisfactory post-operative recovery. Conclusions: a total of 32 patients were operated on for non-traumatic splenic diseases, including one patient with splenoptosis or aberrant spleen, and a patient with a splenic tumor. Partial splenectomy was performed on all patients with �≤-thalassemia. Splenic surgery is unquestionably a treatment option for a variety of localized and systemic conditions.