The surgical removal of the spleen.
A surgical operation to remove the spleen.
Surgical removal of the spleen when it has ruptured due to trauma.
The surgical removal of the spleen. A splenectomy is performed in patients whose spleen has been injured in an accident, when a person has leukemia, lymphoma, or other diseases that cause the spleen to enlarge beyond its normal size.
Surgical removal of the spleen. This is sometimes necessary in the emergency treatment of bleeding from a ruptured spleen and in the treatment of some blood diseases.
Removal of the spleen. This operation may be necessary if the spleen has been severely injured, or in the treatment of the severe form of acholuric jaundice or autoimmune thrombocytopenic purpura. Removal of the spleen renders a person susceptible to certain serious infections, such as pneumococcal sepsis; such persons need pneumococcal vaccine and may have to take penicillin for some years after operation (especially if removed in childhood).
The surgical procedure to remove the spleen is known as a splenectomy. This operation is typically carried out when the spleen has been severely damaged, or to address conditions like hypersplenism or specific types of anemia. Normally, the removal doesn’t lead to significant issues, as other components of the lymphatic system and the liver compensate for the lost function. However, individuals who have undergone a splenectomy become more vulnerable to certain infections. As a precaution, they are administered vaccines for pneumococcal, meningococcal, Hib, and influenza infections, along with long-term antibiotic therapy.