Management of Isolated Splenic Injuries after Blunt Trauma: An Institution’s Experience Over 6 Years

Published in Medical Journal of Malaysia on 4 December 2010

K.K. Tan, M.T. Chiu, A. Vijayan
Department of General Surgery, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore 308433

Summary

Forty-two patients with traumatic blunt splenic injuries were admitted over a six year period. Vehicular-related collisions and fall from height accounted for the injuries in 38 (90.5%) of them. Eleven (26.2%) underwent immediate surgery (7 splenectomy and 4 splenorrhaphy), while the remaining 31 patients were treated nonoperatively of which 3 underwent angio-embolisation. Twenty seven patients had either grade III or IV splenic injuries. Operative management was more likely in patients with lower haemoglobin or with more severe splenic injury. Nonoperative management can be adopted in patients with blunt isolated splenic injuries but operative management is still indispensable in certain instances.