Percutaneous Nonvascular Splenic Intervention: A 10-Year Review

Abstract

OBJECTIVE. We performed a retrospective review of our experiences with percutaneous splenic interventions to evaluate the safety and usefulness of these procedures. We examined both the success rate and the complication rate.MATERIALS AND METHODS. We used our electronic database to perform a retrospective analysis of patients treated from January 1990 to December 2000. Thirty-nine imaging-guided percutaneous splenic procedures were performed in 38 patients: 27 men and 11 women who ranged in age from 17 to 83 years (mean age, 56.5 years). For 28 procedures, sonographic guidance was used, and for 11, CT guidance was used. Procedures performed included splenic biopsy (n = 24), fluid aspiration (n = 8), and fluid drainage (n = 7).RESULTS. Splenic biopsy was successful in 91% of the procedures; fluid aspiration, in 100%; and fluid drainage, in 86%. The overall complication rate was 10.3%, with three patients requiring emergency splenectomy as a result of massive bleeding after the procedure. Two of these patie...