Morphological Study Of Spleen And Variations In South Indian Population

Background and Aim:The spleen is the largest lymphoid organ in the human body. It is highly vascular andfriable.It is affected in various clinical conditions like infections and storage functions. The aim of the study isto find out the morphological variations of spleen.The present study is undertaken to report the prevalence ofvariations involving weight, length, breadth, width (thickness) and the number of notches of spleen in thecadavers of South India population.Materials and Methods: The study was done in 50 human adult cadaveric spleens of both sexes preserved in 10%formalin. The weight, length, breadth, thickness were measured and the number of notches present were noted.Results:The weight of fifty spleens studied varied from 80- 200gm in 43(86%), 201-300gm in 6 (12%) and above300gm in 1(2%) , the length of the spleen on the visceral surface measured from upper pole to lower pole variedfrom 6-9cm in 25(50%) and 10-15 cm in 25 (50%) .The breadth of the spleen varied from 2-5 cm in 16 (32%)specimen, 6-9 cm in 32 (64%) specimen and 10-13 cm in 2 (4%) specimen respectively. The width (thickness) takenat the midpoint of the spleen varied from 2-4 cm in 48 (96%) specimen and 5-6 cm in 2 (48%) specimenrespectively.In the present study the number of notches varied from zero to six, but in most of the specimens therewere one or two notches.However accessory spleen was not found at the hilum of thespleen.Conclusion:The findings of the present study will be of fundamental importance to the physicians,surgeons andradiologists.It also furnishes much insights on clinical utility and significance of spleen.

Endotracheal tuberculous stenosis: Ventilation rescue and bronchography guided stenting.

We present the case of a 16-year-old female patient who presented with dyspnoea, cough and noisy breathing that progressed further in hospital with the development of stridor and severe respiratory compromise requiring mechanical ventilatory support. Investigations were consistent with a diagnosis of endotracheal tuberculosis with tracheal and bronchial stenosis. Despite adequate anti-tuberculous therapy and ventilation the patient had high airway pressures, low tidal volumes and hypercapnia, which prevented weaning from mechanical ventilation. Balloon dilatation and stenting of the 4.5cm long, 2.3mm diameter stenotic tracheal segment was performed under radiological guidance. The patient was weaned successfully from the ventilator post-procedure. This report illustrates the successful management of an uncommon presentation of a common disease with modern endoscopic therapy.