Intrahepatic splenic tissue

Abstract

Intrahepatic splenic tissue is uncommon being reported to date in three humans and one pig. This report is of a 54 year old man with chronic asthma who died from acute bronchial asthma. Twenty years previously he had undergone a splenectomy (the spleen was histologically normal). Necropsy revealed a well defined, smooth bordered, bilobed red mass on the left hepatic lobe; one lobe projected outwards the other was embedded in the liver. Histologically the mass was splenic tissue. This case of intrahepatic splenic tissue differing from the three human cases reported previously in that there was a common capsule beneath which splenic pulp directly abuts on hepatic tissue. This suggests that this case is more probably one of hyperplasia of congenitally ectopic splenic tissue following splenectomy rather than limited splenosis after implantation onto the serosal surface of splenic tissue released by trauma. Splenic ectopia should be considered in the differential diagnosis of hepatic lesions detected post-splenectomy and the liver should be considered as a possible site of residual splenic tissue if splenic function returns following splenectomy.