Discontinued Splenogonadal Fusion and Bilateral Empty Scrotum in an 18-Month-Old Boy.

Ahmed Abokrecha,Ameera Almatrfi

doi:10.1055/s-0037-1598624

Abstract

Splenogonadal fusion is a rare benign congenital anomaly defined as the presence of splenic tissue adherent to gonads. It was first described in 1883 by Bostroem, a German pathologist. We present a case of an 18-month-old boy who was referred as a case of bilateral empty scrotum since birth. During routine laparoscopic exploration, right vas deferens and testicular vessels were entering the right internal inguinal ring so right inguinal exploration was done, which revealed blind ending vas deferens and testicular vessels and the left testis was found intra-abdominally near the left internal ring with a mass on its upper pole. Wedge biopsy was taken from the upper pole of the testicle (site of the mass) for tissue diagnosis followed by orchidopexy. Histology showed splenic tissue. Although splenogonadal fusion is a rare condition, surgeons should be aware of this rare disease entity to avoid unnecessary aggressive interventions such as orchiectomy.

Highlights

Splenogonadal fusion is a rare benign congenital anomaly defined as the presence of splenic tissue adherent to gonads
We present a case of an 18-month-old boy who was referred as a case of bilateral empty scrotum since birth
It commonly presents as inguinal hernia or testicular mass and may be misdiagnosed as testicular malignancy; in some cases of continuous types, it might be associated with congenital anomalies such as limb defects, microganthia, cleft palate, and cardiac defects.[3,5]

Summary

Introduction

Splenogonadal fusion is a rare benign congenital anomaly defined as the presence of splenic tissue adherent to gonads. This condition is usually discovered incidentally during inguinal hernia or a testicular mass.[1,2,3] There are approximately 175 cases reported in the literature that showed left side and male predominance.

Results

Conclusion