ABSTRACT
Background: Splenic abscesses are uncommon, appear in subjects with predisposing factors such as systemic infections and have high mortality rates. Aim: To report seven patients with splenic abscesses. Material and Methods: Retrospective review of medical records of patients with a splenic abscess treated between 1987 and 2005. Results: The records of four women and three males aged 20 to 74 years, were reviewed. The most common presenting symptoms were fever and abdominal pain and all had predisposing factors. Six patients had a leukocyte count of 19,500 x mm³. Mean erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C reactive protein values were 75 mm/h and 13.5 mg/dl. Diagnosis was made with ultrasound in two patients and CT scan in five. Six patients had an unique abscess and one patient had multiple lesions. A splenectomy was done in three patients as the first choice treatment and in one, due to medical treatment failure. In two patients, a CT guided percutaneous drainage was performed and one patient was subjected to medical treatment only. Abscess cultures were positive in 50 percent of patients subjected to percutaneous drainage and in 50 percent of splenectomized patients. No patient died and no complications were observed in the early or ¡ate postoperative period. Conclusion: Splenic abscesses are associated to predisposing conditions. The first choice is surgical treatment, but percutaneous drainage is also a therapeutic option.
Subject(s)
Adult , Aged , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Abdominal Abscess/surgery , Splenic Diseases/surgery , Abdominal Abscess/diagnosis , Drainage , Retrospective Studies , Splenectomy , Splenic Diseases/diagnosisABSTRACT
La intususcepción de colon es una patología infrecuente en los adultos. En un 20 a 50 por ciento de los casos es secundaria a una enfermedad maligna. Sin embargo, en un número no despreciable, puede ser secundario a un lipoma. Como esta asociación es poco frecuente el diagnóstico preoperatorio sólo se realiza en pocos pacientes. El tratamiento en general es quirúrgico y depende de la presentación clínica. El presente trabajo describe las características clínicas, radiológicas y anatomopatológicas de dos pacientes que consultaron por un cuadro compatible con una obstrucción intestinal incompleta del colon. Se sospechó por las características de la tomografía computada en el primer enfermo y por los hallazgos de la colonoscopía en el segundo, la presencia de un lipoma de colon. Ambos pacientes fueron sometidos enforma electiva, a una resección del segmento de colon comprometido. Los dos enfermos evolucionaron sin complicaciones y fueron dados de alta al 10° y 8º día, posterior a la cirugía. El estudio anatomopatológicoconfirmó el diagnóstico preoperatorio de lipoma de colon en los 2 enfermos.