Accessory spleen and its significance: A case report

Abstract

The spleen forms from multiple small components during embryogenesis, and failure of this fusion can lead to one or more nodules remaining separate. Accessory spleen can be congenital or it can be acquired. An accessory spleen/splenunculi is a small congenital nodule of splenic tissue which is located apart from the main splenic body. It is usually asymptomatic but might present clinically as an abdominal mass related to complications such as torsion, spontaneous rupture, haemorrhage and cyst formation. Splenunculi are typically few centimetres in diameter when identified, well circumscribed rounded or ovoid nodules. An accessory spleen was found in the Gastrosplenic ligament in a male cadaver during routine dissection in the year 2014-15. They are medically significant in that they may result in interpretational errors in diagnostic imaging or continued symptoms after therapeutic splenectomy.