Splenunculi-frequency and characteristics in patients at a tertiary care hospital of Wayanad district

Abstract

Background: Splenunculi, in other words a supernumerary spleen or accessory spleen is a small well defined mass of splenic tissue found separate from the main spleen. It is a congenital entity. The splenunculi generally are the result of failure of fusion of the primordial splenic buds in the dorsal mesogastrium during the 5th week of fetal life. Splenunculi are generally asymptomatic. Rarely they can be a cause of left upper abdominal pain. The study was to evaluate the frequency and characteristics of splenunculi in patients undergoing Computerised tomography of the abdomen in our hospital. Methods: An observational study was carried out in a hospital in Wayanad District between May 2019 to October 2019 (6 months). 256 consecutive patients were included in the study who belonged to the age groups between 11 and 90 years. Patients with a history of abdominal trauma, previous abdominal surgery, abdominal malignancies and haematological disorders were excluded from the study. Each study was systematically analysed for the presence or absence of splenunculi. If present, the number, location, size and shape were assessed and tabulated. Results: A total of 273 abdominal CT scans done from May 2019 to October 2019 were analyzed. 256 cases were included in the study. The most common age group was between 50-70 years. Among the 256 subjects, 70 had splenunculi (27%). Majority of the splenunculi were solitary (76%). One subject had four and another had five splenunculi. Most of the splenunculi were less than 5mm and were oval in shape. The commonest location was at the splenic hilum and lower pole of the spleen (36% each). Conclusion: The frequency of splenunculi was more compared to other studies. The most common location was at the splenic hilum and lower pole. Majority of the splenunculi were solitary and less than 5mm in size.