SPLENECTOMY FOR TRAUMATIC RUPTURE WITH INTRA-ABDOMINAL HEMORRHAGE

Abstract

INTRA-ABDOMINAL hemorrhage is the immediate and most urgent indication for splenectomy in cases of traumatic rupture of the spleen. The diagnosis of traumatic rupture of the spleen likewise depends on the presence of the various clinical signs and symptoms produced by intraabdominal hemorrhage, as there are no known laboratory or investigative procedures that can be used directly on the spleen. Hemorrhage following traumatic rupture of the spleen can be divided clinically into the immediate and delayed types, depending on the lapse of time between the accident initiating the trauma and the development of symptoms of internal bleeding. Trauma to the spleen without intra-abdominal hemorrhage occurs more frequently than one would suspect, but as patients with this condition do not come to surgery the number of cases cannot be accurately estimated. Immediate abdominal hemorrhage from the spleen is not infrequently difficult to diagnose early, as patients suffering from this have usually