SPLENECTOMY OR SPLEEN REMOVAL

Splenectomy or spleenectomy is a surgical procedure to remove a diseased or damaged spleen, an organ whose function is to help the body fight infections.

Splenectomy, an elective procedure for most past, is done under the following circumstances:
•  When it becomes very large such that it becomes destructive to platelets/red cells
•  For diagnosing certain lymphomas
•  When platelets are destroyed in the spleen as a result of an auto-immune process (see also idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura)
•  When the spleen bleeds following physical trauma
•  Following spontaneous rupture
•  For long-term treatment of congenital erythropoietic porphyria (CEP) if severe hemolytic anemia develops

All patients undergoing splenectomy should be vaccinated against pneumococcal pneumonia.

DETAILS OF THE PROCEDURE

Splenectomy is performed while the patient is under general anesthesia. The surgeon starts by making an incision in the abdomen. He then locates the spleen and separates it from its attachments to the surrounding organs. The surgeon then divides the blood supply to the spleen and removes it from the abdomen. After a careful check for bleeding, the abdominal incision is closed.

The surgery may also be performed using laparoscopic technique in some patients. In laparoscopic procedure several tiny incisions are made instead of a single large one, and recovery is typically faster.

COST OF SPLENECTOMY

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