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splenectomy
Sign in to saveA splenectomy is the surgical procedure that partially or completely removes the spleen. The spleen is an important organ in regard to immunological function due to its ability to efficiently destroy encapsulated bacteria. Therefore, removal of the spleen runs the risk of overwhelming post-splenectomy infection, a medical emergency and rapidly fatal disease caused by the inability of the body's immune system to properly fight infection following splenectomy or asplenia.
Key facts
- Medical intervention.Name
- Splenectomy
- Medical intervention.Image
- Spleen after spleenectomy.jpg
- Medical intervention.Caption
- Surgically removed spleen of a child with thalassemia. It is about 15 times larger than normal.
- Medical intervention.ICD9
- ,
- Medical intervention.MeshID
- D013156
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
7 sectionsContents
- Indications
- Procedure
- Side effects
- Subtotal splenectomy
- History
- See also
- References
A splenectomy is the surgical procedure that partially or completely removes the spleen. The spleen is an important organ in regard to immunological function due to its ability to efficiently destroy encapsulated bacteria. Therefore, removal of the spleen runs the risk of overwhelming post-splenectomy infection, a medical emergency and rapidly fatal disease caused by the inability of the body's immune system to properly fight infection following splenectomy or asplenia.
Common indications for splenectomy include trauma, tumors, splenomegaly or for hematological disease such as sickle cell anemia or thalassemia.