1988 Volume 49 Issue 12 Pages 2412-2416
A case of delayed splenic rupture, which occurred 13 days after a traffic accident, is discussed with a reveiw of 31 cases reported in the Japanese literature and with reference to other literature. An 18-year-old man suffered a hard fall from his mortorcycle. On admission, there were fractures of the left 11th and 12th ribs, but no abnormal findings were observed in the abdomen. On the 13th day after injury, however, he suddenly went into shock and presented acute symptoms of abdominal disease. Abdominal computed tomography revealed low density areas in and around the spleen and fluid retention in the peritoneal cavity. On the basis of suspected delayed splenic rupture, laparotomy was performed. During surgery, rupture of and bleeding from the fibrous capsule of the spleen were present on the side of the infrasplenic pole and the splenic hilum. Because it seemed difficult to perform splenic preservation by restoration, splenectomy was performed. The postoperative course was favorable.
