POSTOPERATİVE COURSE OF SPLENECTOMIES IN PEDIATRIC PATIENTS
İR User, H Ceylan, BH Özokutan, SC Karakuş, V Akçaer, B Burulday
Faculty of Medicine, University of Gaziantep
PURPOSE: Splenectomy is a common procedure in pediatric age group
indicated for hematologic-oncologic diseases, trauma and some rare conditions.
Thrombocytosis, portal vein thrombus and postsplenectomy sepsis are well-known
postoperative complications with high rates among adult series. In this study,
we aimed to study the postoperative course of splenectomies in pediatric age
group.PATIENTS and METHOD: Between January 2006- January 2016,
files of splenectomy patients were retrospectively reviewed with respect to
age, sex, diagnosis and postoperative
complications. All elective cases were vaccinated against capsulated bacteria 3
weeks prior to surgery. Cholecystectomy was also performed if there was
concomitant cholelithiasis. Doppler ultrasonography was done in 41 patients to
detect portal vein thrombosis on postoperative day 3.RESULTS: Splenectomy was performed in 52 patients (28 girls
and 24 boys) aged 4-15 years old (mean age:9). Most common indications were
thalassemia major (n=26, 50%), hereditary spherocytosis (n=11, 21,2%) and
chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (n=6, 11,5%). Cholecystectomy was
added in 5 patients with cholelithiasis. Emergency splenectomy was done in 2
patient; one with splenic torsion and the other with trauma. Spleens were
weighed in 34 cases and the mean weight was 470 gr (64 gr-1900 gr). Early
postsplenectomy sepsis was encountered in none of the patients. Normal portal
venous flow was demonstrated in all 41 patients with postoperative doppler
ultrasonography. Postoperative thrombocytosis occurred in 8 patients (15,3%)
and 5 of them were diagnosed with thalassemia major. Thrombocyte counts
returned to normal in the average of 12 weeks in all patients. Statistically
significant relationship was not present between occurrence of thrombocytosis
and age, sex or weight of the spleen.
CONCLUSION: Pediatric postsplenectomy complications were
lower in our series relative to current literature. However, in every case, complications
commonly encountered among adults like
portal vein thrombosis, postsplenectomy sepsis should be kept in mind.
Keywords: