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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staff
Splenectomy is a surgical procedure to remove your spleen — an organ that sits under your rib cage on the left side of your abdomen. The spleen helps fight infection and filters unneeded material, such as old or damaged blood cells. Although your bone marrow produces most of your blood products, the spleen also produces red blood cells and certain types of white blood cells.
The most common reason for splenectomy is to treat a ruptured spleen, often caused by an abdominal injury. Splenectomy may be used to treat other conditions, including enlarged spleen (splenomegaly), some blood disorders, certain cancers, infection, and noncancerous cysts or tumors.
Splenectomy is most commonly performed using a tiny video camera and special surgical tools (laparoscopic splenectomy).
- Brender E. The spleen. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2005;294:2660.
- Splenectomy. American Academy of Family Physicians. http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/articles/655.html. Accessed April 2, 2010.
- Fraker DL. Spleen. In: Doherty GM. Current Diagnosis & Treatment: Surgery. 13th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill; 2010. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=5217644. Accessed April 2, 2010.
- Park AE, et al. Spleen. In: Brunicardi FC, et al. Schwartz's Principles of Surgery. 9th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill; 2010. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=5027844. Accessed April 2, 2010.
- Cadili A, et al. Complications of splenectomy. The American Journal of Medicine. 2008;121:371.
- Landaw SA, et al. Approach to the adult patient with splenomegaly and other splenic disorders. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed April 2, 2010.
- Laparoscopic spleen removal (splenectomy). Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons. http://www.sages.org/publications/publication.php?id=PI12. Accessed April 2, 2010.
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