SPLEEN

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SPLEEN

• Shaila Sheth
• 11-02-04

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Spleen
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Location of Spleen

• Spleen is between left hemidiaphragm and the
  stomach
• Located in the Left Upper Quadrant
• Left kidney is located posterior to the spleen
• Spleen is convex superiorly concave inferiorly
• Spleen is a intraperitoneal (except for its
  hilum)

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The Spleen

• The spleen is not an essential organ of the body
• For fetus it is the vital organ because it
  produces RBCs

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Normal Varients

• Accessory spleen occurs in 10 of the population
• Found often at the hilum
• Measures between 1 to 3 cm
• Asplenia
• Rare absence of the spleen
• Polysplenia
• Multiple small spleens, more common in males

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Accessory Spleen
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Asplenia
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Polysplenia
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Splenomegaly
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Spleen Kidney
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Patient Preparation

• None, but imaging the spleen is a part of
  complete abdomenexam where patient needs to fast
  for 6-8 hours prior to the exam.

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Patient Positioning

• Right Lateral Decubitus(RLD)
• Supine, sitting semierect to erect prone can
  also be used.
• Use any patient position that helps to get the
  desired result

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Transducer Selection

• To scan Spleen 3.5 5.0 MHz transducers are used

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Window Scanning Technique

• The best window to scan spleen is the lower left
  intercoastal spaces or subcoastal space
• Scan through entire image from superior to
  inferior medial to lateral before you start
  taking images
• Adjust the TGC, Focal Zone, Depth as needed

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Sonographic Appearance

• The spleen is homogenous in texture
• It should be little less echogenic than liver
• A normal spleen measures upto 12-14 cm in length
  from superior to inferior

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Breathing Technique

• Ask the patient to take deep breaths of varying
  sizes and hold them

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Imaging the Spleen

• The best way to remember sonographic appearance
  of the spleen is that in sagittal plane it
  appears on the left side of the monitor and in
  transverse it appears on the right side of the
  monitor.
• Left Kidney is the important landmark in scanning
  sagittal spleen. It always lies posterior to the
  spleen.

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Spleen Left Kidney
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Sagittal Spleen
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Transverse Spleen
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Sagittal Spleen
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Long Spleen with measurements
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Transverse Spleen
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Transverse Spleen with measurement