Sarcoidosis of the Spleen

Abstract

SINCE Boeck's¹ description of the disease in 1899, many excellent articles have been written about sarcoidosis.^{2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13} Sarcoid lesions have been identified in nearly all organs of the body. Chiefly involved are the lungs, lymph nodes, spleen and liver. Less commonly, lesions have been noted in the gastrointestinal tract, adrenal glands, uterus and ovaries. Sarcoid may occur as scattered isolated lesions or may completely replace the normal structure of the part involved.^{6 , 9 , 14 15 16} Involvement of the spleen may lead to anatomic and functional complications. The former include spontaneous rupture and abdominal discomfort due to increased splenic size; the functional complication is hypersplenism. . . .