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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffYour spleen is a small organ located just below your rib cage on your left side. Normally, your spleen is about the size of a fist, but a number of conditions — from infections to liver disease and some cancers — can cause an enlarged spleen (splenomegaly).
Most people don't have symptoms with an enlarged spleen, and the problem is often discovered during a routine physical exam. If you're found to have an enlarged spleen, you're likely to have imaging and blood tests to help determine the cause.
Treatment for an enlarged spleen focuses on relieving the underlying condition. Although surgically removing an enlarged spleen isn't a first choice, it may be an option for you in certain situations.
- Johnson HA, et al. Massive Splenomegaly. Surg Gynecol Obstet. 1989 Feb;168(2):131-7, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2911790. Accessed July 15, 2008.
- Splenomegaly. Merck Manuals Online Medical Library. November 2005, http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec14/ch179/ch179b.html. Accessed July 15, 2008.
- Patient Information for Spleen Removal (Splenectomy) from SAGES. The Society of American Gastrointestinal and Laparoscopic Surgeons, http://www.sages.org/sagespublication.php?doc=PI12.
- Chronic Myloproliferative Disorders. National Cancer Institute, http://cancernet.nci.nih.gov/templates/doc.aspx?viewid=0edcce21-e137-437f-82d6-7f81a60337e0&version=1&allpages=1. Accessed July 15, 2008.
- The Spleen. Journal of the American Medical Association. http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/294/20/2660.pdf. Accessed July 15, 2008.
- Martin MB, et al. Thalassemia and the Spleen. The Cooley's Anemia Foundation. http://www.cooleysanemia.org/updates/Spleen1.pdf. Accessed July 15, 2008.
- Splenomegaly. Merck Manuals Online Medical Library, http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec11/ch138/ch138b.html. Accessed July 15, 2008.
