2021 Volume 41 Issue 7 Pages 587-590
We report a case of acute abdomen caused by torsion of a giant wandering spleen. A 26-year-old woman was referred to our hospital complaining of sharp lower abdominal pain of sudden onset. Abdominal CT revealed an intraperitoneal mass with the whirl sign and ascites in the lower abdomen. We diagnosed strangulated bowel obstruction, and performed emergency laparotomy. Intraoperatively, the intestine-like mass was found to be an enlarged wandering spleen. The spleen was twisted four times around the splenic vessels, and looked pale. After the torsion was released, the color tone of the spleen improved. However, because of the enormous splenomegaly and long splenic vessels, we considered the high risk of recurrence of the torsion or internal hernia, and performed splenectomy. The postoperative course was uneventful and the patient was discharged on the 7th day after surgery.
