A splenectomy is the surgical procedure that partially or completely removes the spleen. The spleen is an important organ in regard to immunological function due to its ability to efficiently destroy encapsulated bacteria.

What does splenectomy mean in medical terms?

Splenectomy is a surgical procedure to remove your spleen. The spleen is an organ that sits under your rib cage on the upper left side of your abdomen. It helps fight infection and filters unneeded material, such as old or damaged blood cells, from your blood.

What happens if spleen is removed?

If your spleen needs to be removed, other organs, such as the liver, can take over many of the spleen's functions. This means you'll still be able to cope with most infections. But there's a small risk that a serious infection may develop quickly. This risk will be present for the rest of your life.

Is a Splenule bad?

An enlarged spleen is not normal and occurs because of another underlying disease. Signs of an enlarged spleen do not cause symptoms and usually are caused by an underlying illness, for example: Infections (mononucleosis, toxoplasmosis, endocarditis). Cancers, for example, lymphoma and leukemia.

Can you live a normal life without a spleen?

You can live without a spleen. But because the spleen plays a crucial role in the body's ability to fight off bacteria, living without the organ makes you more likely to develop infections, especially dangerous ones such as Streptococcus pneumoniae, Neisseria meningitidis, and Haemophilus influenzae.

Spleen Removal Surgery Laparoscopic Splenectomy PreOp® Patient Education

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Can you drink alcohol after a splenectomy?

Do not drive or drink alcohol for 24 hours after your surgery.

What are the 4 functions of the spleen?

Function

• Stores blood.
• Filters blood by removing cellular waste and getting rid of old or damaged blood cells.
• Makes white blood cells and antibodies that help you fight infection.
• Maintains the levels of fluid in your body.
• Produces antibodies that protect you against infection.

Does Splenule cause pain?

Symptoms typically include intermittent left upper quadrant pain due to ischemia in torsed splenules, but they can progress to an acute abdomen in more severe cases. It is important to differentiate splenules from wandering spleens, although infarction of the two may present with similar imaging findings.

What causes a Splenule?

An enlarged spleen is the result of damage or trauma to the spleen from any of several different medical conditions, diseases, or types of physical trauma. Infections, liver problems, blood cancers, and metabolic disorders can all cause your spleen to become enlarged, a condition called splenomegaly.

What causes accessory Splenule?

Accessory spleens are congenital and form as a result of failure of fusion of multiple buds of splenic tissue in the dorsal mesogastrium in the fifth week of embryonic life. They have their own blood supply, which is usually from a branch of the splenic artery.

Which organs can you live without?

Here's a look at some of the organs you can live without.

• Lung. For instance, you only need one lung. ...
• Stomach. Another organ you don't need is your stomach. ...
• Spleen. You can also live without your spleen, an organ that normally filters blood. ...
• Appendix. ...
• Kidney. ...
• Gallbladder. ...
• Liver, sort of.

Can you get a flu shot without a spleen?

You need a dose every fall (or winter) for your protection and for the protection of others around you. As of 2019, live attenuated influenza vaccine (FluMist) is not recommended for people without a spleen.

Can I donate blood with no spleen?

If your spleen was removed due to trauma or physical injury, you can donate six months after you've made a full recovery. If you received a blood transfusion as well, you'll need to wait 12 months after the transfusion.

What organs take over after a splenectomy?

What organ takes over after spleen removal? After splenectomy, the functions of the spleen are usually taken up by other organs, such as the liver, bone marrow, and lymph nodes.

Is having no spleen considered immunocompromised?

Someone without a spleen is at increased risk of severe, or even deadly, infections from these encapsulated bacteria. Fortunately, vaccines significantly decrease the risk of these infections, and are available against the most common types (Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenza, and Neisseria meningitidis).

What are the long term effects of a splenectomy?

As a result, splenectomy leads to a life-long increased risk of life-threatening septicemia or meningitis (OPSI), with a high mortality rate (>50%). We identified 4 cases of S pneumoniae infection; 2 occurred more than 10 years after splenectomy.

What is a small Splenule?

Splenunculi, also known as supernumerary spleens, accessory spleens, or splenules, are small nodules of spleen that are separate from the rest of the organ.

What cancers cause an enlarged spleen?

Blood cancers, such as leukemia and myeloproliferative neoplasms, and lymphomas, such as Hodgkin's disease. Metabolic disorders, such as Gaucher disease and Niemann-Pick disease. Pressure on the veins in the spleen or liver or a blood clot in these veins. Autoimmune conditions, such as lupus or sarcoidosis.

What foods irritate the spleen?

Think of the spleen as being powered by heat. Frozen food, icy drinks, cucumber, bitter or winter melon, lettuce and grapefruit deplete the spleen's "fire". Foods that are "damp" - such as dairy products, refined sugars and sweets - can also smother the digestive process.

Can a swollen spleen heal on its own?

In the past, treatment for a spleen injury always meant removal of the entire organ, called a splenectomy. However, doctors now say that some spleen injuries can heal on their own, particularly those that are not very severe.

What organ is under left breast?

Under and around the left breastbone are the heart, spleen, stomach, pancreas, and large intestine. And that's in addition to the left lung, left breast, and left kidney, which actually sits higher in the body than the right one.

What does pancreatic pain feel like?

The most common symptom of both acute and chronic pancreatitis is pain in the upper abdominal area, usually under the ribs. This pain: May be mild at first and get worse after eating or drinking. May become constant, severe, and last for several days.

How do you keep your spleen healthy?

Well, for starters, it definitely prefers cooked food. Try stewing or slow cooking foods in a crockpot. Luckily, making stews and crockpot meals is incredibly easy and very satiating. Bland carbohydrates, in moderation, like oats, brown rice, and beans are all supportive to good Spleen health.

What causes the spleen to enlarge?

An enlarged spleen can be caused by infections, cirrhosis and other liver diseases, blood diseases characterized by abnormal blood cells, problems with the lymph system, or other conditions.

Can your spleen affect your bowels?

Many blood vessels come together at the splenic flexure, so the area is important for blood flow. Injuries to the colon near the splenic flexure can cause blood loss or low blood pressure. Since the splenic flexure is a bend in the colon, gas can build up in that area.