Acute abdomen due to torsion of the wandering spleen in a patient with Marfan Syndrome

Abstract

Wandering spleen is a very rare defect characterized by the absence or weakness of one or more of the ligaments that hold the spleen in its normal position in the upper left abdomen. Patient symptomatology is variable and ranges from mere feeling of an abdominal lump to sudden abdominal pain due to infarction. Patients may have subacute to chronic abdominal or gastrointestinal complaints. Because of nonspecific symptoms, clinical diagnosis can be difficult; hence, imaging plays an important role. A major complication is splenic torsion, which is the cause of acute abdomen. We present a case of acute abdominal pain due to torsion of wandering spleen in a patient with Marfan Syndrome, valvular heart disease, and vertebral anomalies. Preoperative diagnosis was made on the basis of ultrasonography and computed tomography, which was later confirmed on surgery, and treated successfully. © 2013 Leci-Tahiri et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.