Splenic infarction can be induced for the treatment of such conditions as portal hypertension or splenic injury. It can also be used prior to splenectomy for the prevention of blood loss.

Splenic infarction is a condition in which oxygen supply to the spleen is interrupted, leading to partial or complete infarction (tissue death due to oxygen shortage) in the organ.

Splenic infarction occurs when the splenic artery or one of its branches are occluded, for example by a blood clot. Although it can occur asymptomatically, the typical symptom is severe pain in the left upper quadrant of the abdomen, sometimes radiating to the left shoulder. Fever and chills develop in some cases. It has to be differentiated from other causes of acute abdomen.

An abdominal CT scan is the most commonly used modality to confirm the diagnosis, although abdominal ultrasound can also contribute.

There is no specific treatment, except treating the underlying disorder and providing adequate pain relief. Surgical removal of the spleen (splenectomy) is only required if complications ensue; surgical removal predisposes to overwhelming post-splenectomy infections.

In one series of 59 patients, mortality amounted to 5%. Complications include a ruptured spleen, bleeding, an abscess of the spleen (for example, if the underlying cause is infective endocarditis) or pseudocyst formation. Splenectomy may be warranted for persistent pseudocysts due to the high risk of subsequent rupture.

Splenic rupture is usually evaluated by FAST ultrasound of the abdomen. Generally this is not specific to splenic injury; however, it is useful to determine the presence of free floating blood in the peritoneum. A diagnostic peritoneal lavage, while not ideal, may be used to evaluate the presence of internal bleeding a person who is hemodynamically unstable. The FAST exam typically serves to evaluate the need to perform a CT. Computed tomography with IV contrast is the preferred imaging study as it can provide high quality images of the full peritoneal cavity.

American Association for the Surgery of Trauma Organ Injury Scaling: Splenic Injury Grading

Transfusion therapy lowers the risk for a new silent stroke in children who have both abnormal cerebral artery blood flow velocity, as detected by transcranial Doppler, and previous silent infarct, even when the initial MRI showed no abnormality. A finding of elevated TCD ultrasonographic velocity warrants MRI of the brain, as those with both abnormalities who are not provided transfusion therapy are at higher risk for developing a new silent infarct or stroke than are those whose initial MRI showed no abnormality.

Erythrocytes with membrane pits can be indicative of splenic dysfunction as a healthy spleen clears blood of pitted erythrocytes. Pitted erythrocytes can be counted using Normarsky optics. Humans with healthy spleens have less than two percent of their red blood cells contain pits. In comparison, a person with asplenia may have up to 50% of their red blood cells contain pits.

Echocardiography is the main diagnostic tool for LVT. A distinct mass is visible in the left ventricle. Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging are effective, but less common ways to detect LVT, due to their costs and risks. It is possible to assess whether a thrombus will become an embolus through echocardiography. Mobility and protrusion of the thrombus are two characteristics associated with increased embolic potential.

Predicts mortality risk in pancreatitis with fewer variables than Ranson's criteria. Data should be taken from the first 24 hours of the patient's evaluation.

- BUN >25 mg/dL (8.9 mmol/L)

- Abnormal mental status with a Glasgow coma score <15

- Evidence of SIRS (systemic inflammatory response syndrome)

- Patient age >60 years old

- Imaging study reveals pleural effusion

Patients with a score of zero had a mortality of less than one percent, whereas patients with a score of five had a mortality rate of 22 percent. In the validation cohort, the BISAP score had similar test performance characteristics for predicting mortality as the APACHE II score. As is a problem with many of the other scoring systems, the BISAP has not been validated for predicting outcomes such as length of hospital stay, need for ICU care, or need for intervention.

The prevalence of LVT with AMI is 5-15%. The rates of AMI associated with LVT is declining due to the use of better therapies and percutaneous coronary intervention used to treat myocardial infarction. LVT formation has been found to be higher in anterior wall AMI than other types of AMI.

Diagnosis is confirmed with CT, or bedside ultrasound for less stable patients. Exploratory laparotomy is rarely used, though it may be of benefit in patients with particularly severe hemorrhage. A set of CT scan grading criteria was created to identify the need for intervention (surgery or embolization) in patients with splenic injury. The criteria were established using 20 CT scans from a database of hemodynamically stable patients with blunt splenic injury. These criteria were then validated in 56 consecutive patients retrospectively and appear to reliably predict the need for invasive management in patients with blunt injury to the spleen (sensitivity of 100%, specificity 88%, overall accuracy was 93%).

The study suggested that the following three CT findings correlate with the need for intervention:

1. Devascularization or laceration involving 50% or more of the splenic parenchyma

2. Contrast blush greater than one centimeter in diameter (from active extravasation of IV contrast or pseudoaneurysm formation)

3. A large hemoperitoneum.

Preventive measures that can be taken to avoid sustaining a silent stroke are the same as for stroke. Smoking cessation is the most immediate step that can be taken, with the effective management of hypertension the major medically treatable factor.

Routine vaccination against meningococcus is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for all 11- to 18-year-olds and people who have poor splenic function (who, for example, have had their spleen removed or who have sickle-cell disease which damages the spleen), or who have certain immune disorders, such as a complement deficiency.

Howell–Jolly bodies are found on red blood cells and contain chromatin remnants from basophilic cells. Under normal conditions, these nuclear remnants are removed from the blood by the spleen by the spleen's filtering capabilities. Howell-Jolly bodies can be identified and quantified using a blood smear or by flow cytometry. A high number of Howell-Jolly bodies is indicative of splenic hypofunction and potentially autosplenectomy.

Computed tomography (CT) and MRI scanning will show damaged area in the brain, showing that the symptoms were not caused by a tumor, subdural hematoma or other brain disorder. The blockage will also appear on the angiogram.

In predicting the prognosis, there are several scoring indices that have been used as predictors of survival. Two such scoring systems are the Ranson criteria and APACHE II (Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation) indices. Most, but not all studies report that the Apache score may be more accurate. In the negative study of the APACHE-II, the APACHE-II 24-hour score was used rather than the 48-hour score. In addition, all patients in the study received an ultrasound twice which may have influenced allocation of co-interventions. Regardless, only the APACHE-II can be fully calculated upon admission. As the APACHE-II is more cumbersome to calculate, presumably patients whose only laboratory abnormality is an elevated lipase or amylase do not need assessment with the APACHE-II; however, this approach is not studied. The APACHE-II score can be calculated at www.sfar.org.

Practice guidelines state:

If the splenomegaly underlies hypersplenism, a splenectomy is indicated and will correct the hypersplenism. However, the underlying cause of the hypersplenism will most likely remain; consequently, a thorough diagnostic workup is still indicated, as, leukemia, lymphoma and other serious disorders can cause hypersplenism and splenomegaly. After splenectomy, however, patients have an increased risk for infectious diseases.

Patients undergoing splenectomy should be vaccinated against "Haemophilus influenzae", "Streptococcus pneumoniae", and "Meningococcus". They should also receive annual influenza vaccinations. Long-term prophylactic antibiotics may be given in certain cases.

In cases of infectious mononucleosis splenomegaly is a common symptom and health care providers may consider using abdominal ultrasonography to get insight into a person's condition. However, because spleen size varies greatly, ultrasonography is not a valid technique for assessing spleen enlargement and should not be used in typical circumstances or to make routine decisions about fitness for playing sports.

A Zahn infarct is a pseudo-infarction of the liver, consisting of an area of congestion with parenchymal atrophy but no necrosis, and usually due to obstruction of a branch of the portal vein. Zahn infarcts are unique in that there is collateral congestion of liver sinusoids that do not include areas of anoxia seen in most infarcts. Fibrotic tissue may develop in the area of the infarct and it could be caused by an occlusive phlebitis in portal vein radicles. Non ischemic infarct of liver with lines of Zahn.

A complication that may occur in the acute setting soon after a myocardial infarction or in the weeks following is cardiogenic shock. Cardiogenic shock is defined as a hemodynamic state in which the heart cannot produce enough of a cardiac output to supply an adequate amount of oxygenated blood to the tissues of the body.

While the data on performing interventions on individuals with cardiogenic shock is sparse, trial data suggests a long-term mortality benefit in undergoing revascularization if the individual is less than 75 years old and if the onset of the acute myocardial infarction is less than 36 hours and the onset of cardiogenic shock is less than 18 hours. If the patient with cardiogenic shock is not going to be revascularized, aggressive hemodynamic support is warranted, with insertion of an intra-aortic balloon pump if not contraindicated. If diagnostic coronary angiography does not reveal a culprit blockage that is the cause of the cardiogenic shock, the prognosis is poor.

Symptoms may include abdominal pain, chest pain, chest pain similar to pleuritic pain when stomach, bladder or bowels are full, back pain, early satiety due to splenic encroachment, or the symptoms of anemia due to accompanying cytopenia.

Signs of splenomegaly may include a palpable left upper quadrant abdominal mass or splenic rub. It can be detected on physical examination by using Castell's sign, Traube's space percussion or Nixon's sign, but an ultrasound can be used to confirm diagnosis. In patients where the likelihood of splenomegaly is high, the physical exam is not sufficiently sensitive to detect it; abdominal imaging is indicated in such patients.

Because of the increased risk of infection, physicians administer oral antibiotics as a prophylaxis after a surgical splenectomy (or starting at birth, for congenital asplenia or functional asplenia).

Those with asplenia are also cautioned to start a full-dose course of antibiotics at the first onset of an upper or lower respiratory tract infection (for example, sore throat or cough), or at the onset of any fever.

The basic pathology is some kind of obstructive pathology in the portal, hepatic or splenic vein that causes obstruction of venous blood flow from the spleen towards the heart. The cause of such obstruction may be abnormalities present at birth (congenital) of certain veins, blood clots, or various underlying disorders causing inflammation and obstruction of veins (vascular obstruction) of the liver.

The diagnosis of hemosuccus pancreaticus can be difficult to make. Most patients who develop bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract have endoscopic procedures done to visualize the bowel in order to find and treat the source of the bleeding. With hemosuccus, the bleeding is coming from the pancreatic duct which enters into the first part of the small intestine, termed the duodenum. Typical gastroscopes used to visualize the esophagus, stomach and duodenum are designed with fiber-optic illumination that is directed in the same direction as the endoscope, meaning that visualization is in the forward direction. However, the pancreatic duct orifice is located on the side of the duodenum, meaning that it can be missed on forward-viewing endoscopy. A side-viewing endoscope (known as a "duodenoscope", or "side-viewer") used for endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), a procedure to visualize the bile ducts and pancreatic duct on fluoroscopy, can be used to localize the bleeding to the pancreatic duct. It can be confused with bleeding from the common bile duct on endoscopy, leading to the term "pseudohematobilia".

Liver function test is normal apart from an increased serum bilirubin in the event of pancreaticobiliary reflux. Serum amylase is normal outside episodes of acute pancreatitis. It is difficult to diagnose HP because the bleeding is usually intermittent. Endoscopy is essential in ruling out other causes of upper gastrointestinal bleeding and in rare cases; active bleeding can be seen from the duodenal ampulla. Even though endoscopy may be normal, it helps to rule out other causes of upper digestive bleeding (erosive gastritis, peptic ulcers, and oesophageal and gastric fundus varices, etc.). Ultrasonography can be used to visualize pancreatic pseudocysts or aneurysm of the peripancreatic arteries. Doppler ultrasound or dynamic ultrasound has been reported to be diagnostic. Contrast-enhanced CT is an excellent modality for demonstrating the pancreatic pathology and can also demonstrate features of chronic pancreatitis, pseudocysts, and pseudoaneurysms. On precontrast CT, the characteristic finding of clotted blood in the pancreatic duct, known as the sentinel clot, is seldom seen. Computed tomography may show simultaneous opacification of an aneurysmal artery and pseudocyst or persistence of contrast within a pseudocyst after the arterial phase. Again, these findings are only suggestive of the diagnosis. Ultimately, angiography is the diagnostic reference standard. Angiography identifies the causative artery and allows for delineation of the arterial anatomy and therapeutic intervention.

Asplenia is the absence of normal spleen function. It predisposes to some septicemia infections. Therefore, vaccination and antibiotic measures are essential in such cases. There are multiple causes:

- Some people congenitally completely lack a spleen, although this is rare.

- Sickle-cell disease can cause a functional asplenia (or autosplenectomy) by causing infarctions of the spleen during repeated sickle-cell crises.

- It may be removed surgically (known as a splenectomy), but this is rarely performed, as it carries a high risk of infection and other adverse effects. Indications include following abdominal injuries with rupture and hemorrhage of the spleen, or in the treatment of certain blood diseases (Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, hereditary spherocytosis, etc.), certain forms of lymphoma or for the removal of splenic tumors or cysts.

Treatment has traditionally been splenectomy. However, splenectomy is avoided if possible, particularly in children, to avoid the resulting permanent susceptibility to bacterial infections. Most small, and some moderate-sized lacerations in stable patients (particularly children) are managed with hospital observation and sometimes transfusion rather than surgery. Embolization, blocking off of the hemorrhaging vessels, is a newer and less invasive treatment. When surgery is needed, the spleen can be surgically repaired in a few cases, but splenectomy is still the primary surgical treatment, and has the highest success rate of all treatments.

To minimise the risks associated with splenectomy, antibiotic and vaccination protocols have been established, but are often poorly adhered to by physicians and patients due to the complications resulting from antibiotic prophylaxis such as development of an overpopulation of Clostridium difficile in the intestinal tract.