ABSTRACT
Descriptive study of splenic salvage in adult blunt splenic injury over a twelve years period. A retrospective analysis of the medical records of adult patients admitted in the period between April 1, 1993 and March 31, 2005 with a diagnosis of blunt splenic injury. Patients were sorted according to whether they were treated conservatively or surgically. In the surgically treated patients the patient were subdivided according to the type of surgery done. The results of every six years were grouped together and compared to each other as regard incidence and type of operative intervention, incidence of conservative management and outcomes. Four hundred sixty eight patients with splenic injuries were included in this study-One hundred thirty seven patients [29.3%] underwent total splenectomy [group I], surgical salvage [group II] were done in 112 cases [23.9%], and 219[46.8%] were observed [group III]. In the last six years the rate of splenectomy and surgical salvage decline from 38.7% to 20.7% and 28.8% to 19.5% respectively. The rate of non-operative management increased from 32.4% in the first 6 years to 59.7% in the last 6 years. Total splenectomy is not the ideal treatment for every patient with splenic injury due to blunt trauma. Surgical techniques which preserve splenic tissue mass are often successful. Moreover, nonoperative management of blunt splenic injury has become increasingly popular and successful