Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0038002 (splenomegaly)
 9,873 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

While acute splenic sequestration and splenic infarction are commonly observed in infants and young children with sickle cell anemia, they are rarely experienced by adult hemoglobin S homozygotes because the recurrent splenic infarction that takes place during childhood is typically followed by scarring, atrophy, and splenic fibrosis. Both acute splenic sequestration and splenic infarction do remain relatively common in adults with the other sickle hemoglobinopathies. These episodes are almost certainly a consequence of the persistently enlarged and distensible spleens that often remain present in these conditions. In this report, the authors describe two adult patients with hemoglobin SC disease: one who developed acute splenic sequestration and one with splenic infarction. In neither case was there a history of recent air travel or exposure to altitude. The clinical course of these two syndromes is presented, and the hematologic, radiologic, and pathologic manifestations are discussed. Because they can sometimes be difficult to distinguish from one another, and because a failure to identify acute splenic sequestration can be catastrophic, these two entities must be included in the differential diagnosis for any hemoglobin SC patient who present with an unexplained fall in hemoglobin, left upper quadrant pain, unexplained fever, or symptomatic splenomegaly.
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PMID:Case report: splenic infarction and acute splenic sequestration in adults with hemoglobin SC disease. 177 23

A 19-year-old black woman with sickle cell beta(0) thalassemia had experienced more than 100 hospital admissions for sickle cell crisis and aseptic necrosis of both femoral heads. Her spleen was enlarged threefold and accumulated both radiocolloid and bone-seeking agent on two occasions, demonstrating an exception to the rule in sickle cell anemia that spleens that take up bone-seeking agents demonstrate functional asplenia. In the context of fever, left upper quadrant pain, and splenomegaly, the pattern of calcification in the patient's spleen as revealed in ultrasound and CT studies suggested possible abscess and led to unnecessary splenectomy. The nuclear medicine studies did not support this diagnosis. Nuclear medicine physicians should not be misled by splenic findings of sickle cell thalassemia (and possibly of other heterozygous sickle cell disorders) that differ from those of the more familiar homozygous sickle cell anemia.
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PMID:Splenic uptake of both technetium-99m diphosphonate and technetium-99m sulfur colloid in sickle cell beta (0) thalassemia. 280 34

Ten patients with diffuse large cell (histiocytic) lymphoma of the spleen had a characteristic clinical presentation and pathologic findings. Patients presented with left upper quadrant pain, fever, weight loss, and an elevated sedimentation rate. Imaging studies revealed an enlarged spleen with a discrete mass in all cases. Moderate to massive splenomegaly (average weight, 1025 g) was found at laparotomy; a single large mass or multiple confluent nodules with extensive central necrosis replaced 85% to 90% of the parenchyma. The tumor transgressed the splenic capsule in nine of ten cases, and either invaded or was adherent to the diaphragm, stomach, pancreas, or abdominal wall. Lymph nodes in the splenic hilum or retroperitoneum were frequently involved. Seven patients were in Ann Arbor Stage II, and three were in Stage I. Eight of the ten lymphomas were subclassified as centroblastic (large noncleaved cell) and two were immunoblastic. The B-cell lineage of six tumors was established by the presence of monoclonal immunoglobulin. Despite combination chemotherapy, with or without radiation, three of the seven patients whose follow-up was adequate died in less than 2 years; four are alive at 7, 12, 12, and 81 months, respectively, the last two with recurrent lymphoma. Large cell lymphoma of the spleen is a likely diagnosis in patients who present with left upper quadrant pain, fever, and radiographic evidence of a splenic mass.
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PMID:Diffuse large cell (histiocytic) lymphoma of the spleen. Clinical and pathologic characteristics of ten cases. 638 5

Much of the morbidity associated with sickle cell anemia (SCA) is due to ongoing infarction resulting in organ dysfunction. Because the spleen is often the first organ damaged in this illness, there is a significant impairment of the immune system in these patients. Hydroxyurea (HU) has been shown to increase fetal hemoglobin (HbF) and decrease painful episodes in patients with this disease. It is unclear whether HU can prevent organ damage. We treated two SCA patients with HU for several years and found evidence of reversal of previously documented splenic dysfunction. Patient no. 1 was treated for 30 months with an increase in HbF to 30%. HU was stopped because of cytopenia. She developed left upper quadrant pain. A splenectomy was performed due to the possibility of splenic abscesses. A pathologic review found no evidence of infection and an enlarged spleen that showed active germinal centers. Patient no. 2 was treated for 24 months with HU before developing splenomegaly. His HbF levels were 25% to 30%, his pit counts averaged 2%, and his liver spleen scans showed uptake. These two cases show that chronic HU therapy may reverse splenic dysfunction in certain patients and suggest that this drug may have efficacy beyond the elimination of pain in SCA.
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PMID:First report of reversal of organ dysfunction in sickle cell anemia by the use of hydroxyurea: splenic regeneration. 882 12

The association of sickle cell trait (SCT) and hereditary spherocytosis (HS) has been reported in only 18 patients. Three of these 18 patients experienced splenic infarct or acute splenic sequestration. We report here a 46-year-old African-American male, the oldest reported case to date, who experienced episodes of hemolysis and severe left upper quadrant pain for the past 26 years. The patient had compensated hemolysis with splenomegaly. A CT scan of the abdomen revealed a large infarct in the spleen. The diagnosis of SCT was confirmed with isoelectric focusing, cation exchange and reverse-phase HPLC. The presence of a silent, interacting globin variant as the cause of hemolysis and sickling in the spleen was ruled out by sequencing of the alpha1-, alpha2- and beta-globin genes. The diagnosis of HS was established by an osmotic fragility test. The interaction of HS and SCT leads to RBC dehydration with increased MCHC and intracellular Hb S concentration presumably favoring intrasplenic sickling and resultant splenic infarcts and sequestration as seen in this case.
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PMID:Interaction of sickle cell trait with hereditary spherocytosis: splenic infarcts and sequestration. 1466 74

Splenic abscess is a rare clinical entity but may be underreported. A retrospective study at Srinagarind Hospital revealed 60 cases of splenic abscess between 1992 and 2001. The causative organisms were identified in 41 cases (68.3%). Gram negative bacilli were commonly isolated and Burkholderia pseudomallei was the most predominant. Diabetes mellitus and leukemia were common underlying diseases found in 46.3 per cent and 9.7 per cent of culture confirmed cases, respectively. The patients usually presented with fever, left upper quadrant pain, tenderness and splenomegaly. Multiple abscesses were more commonly found in the melioidosis than in the non-melioidosis group (p = 0.032), but a single abscess was more commonly found in the non-melioidosis than in the melioidosis group (p = 0.032). Concurrent liver abscesses, often multiple, were not different in both groups. Antimicrobials alone were given in 66.7 per cent of cases with melioidosis and 64.7 per cent of non-melioidosis group. Splenectomy and percutaneous aspiration were performed only in 29.3 per cent and 4.9 per cent of cases with splenic abscess. The overall mortality rate of splenic abscess was only 4.9 per cent in the present series. In conclusion, splenic abscess is not uncommon. Burkholderia pseudomalleli is the most common causative agent found in the present series. Therefore, it should be targeted in the initial empirical antibiotic therapy before the culture results are available especially when multiple lesions in the spleen and concurrent multiple liver abscesses are seen. Prolonged treatment with appropriate antimicrobials alone is usually effective. Splenectomy and/or aspiration may be useful in selected patients.
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PMID:Splenic abscess: clinical features, microbiologic finding, treatment and outcome. 1285

A 31-year-old man with no significant medical history presented with a 5-day history of progressive left upper quadrant abdominal pain. Physical examination revealed a tender guarded abdomen, no icterus, and bilateral corneal "arcus senilis"-like changes. Laboratory workup showed a mild normocytic, normochromic anemia; and target cells were seen in the peripheral blood smear. Serum was turbid; and the lipid profile showed elevated total cholesterol, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and elevated triglycerides. Urinalysis revealed nephrotic range proteinuria with microhematuria. An abdominal computed tomographic scan demonstrated a homogeneously enlarged spleen. The patient was discharged after symptomatic treatment to be followed as an ambulatory patient. Several days later, he returned with severe left upper quadrant pain and was admitted to the surgical service for further evaluation. A splenectomy was performed for a suspected splenic lymphoma. Upon gross examination, spleen was moderately enlarged, weighing 780 g. Sectioning revealed a beefy red cut surface without gross lesions. Wright-Giemsa-stained touch imprints showed many sea-blue histiocytes. A renal biopsy was also performed, demonstrating focal segmental glomerular sclerosis and mesangial expansion with extramembranous and intramembranous deposition of lipids. In the absence of hematologic malignancy and in light of the abnormal lipid profile, a disorder of lipid metabolism was suspected. Histologic and ultrastructural findings in the kidney and spleen raised the likelihood of lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) deficiency, which was confirmed by the markedly decreased serum LCAT activity and serum LCAT mass. We describe a case with the triad of splenomegaly with sea-blue histiocytes, nephropathy, and dyslipidemia in a patient with LCAT deficiency.
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PMID:Splenomegaly with sea-blue histiocytosis, dyslipidemia, and nephropathy in a patient with lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase deficiency: a clinicopathologic correlation. 1959 52

A 58-year-old female patient presented with the sudden onset of left upper quadrant pain. The physical examination revealed the presence of shock status. Abdominal computed tomography revealed splenomegaly with a huge mass inside the spleen, and massive fluid collection in the abdominal cavity. After splenic artery embolization, laparotomy was performed. The operative findings revealed intra-abdominal hemorrhage and rupture of the lower pole of the spleen. Furthermore, a palpable solid mass was observed at the splenic hilum, and distal pancreatectomy with splenectomy was performed. The macroscopic findings revealed a pancreatic tail tumor at the splenic hilum directly invading the splenic parenchyma. Microscopic examinations showed the tumor to consist of squamous cell carcinoma. Furthermore, old and new thrombi were observed inside small splenic arteries. These findings were considered to represent invasion of pancreatic adenosquamous carcinoma to the spleen, and rupture of the spleen was attributed to splenic ischemia resulting from cancer invasion and splenic vein obstruction.
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PMID:Pancreatic adenosquamous carcinoma presenting as splenic rupture: report of a case. 2162 40

A 42-year-old white woman, who was a general practitioner referral to the medical team, presented with a 3-day history of left upper quadrant pain; an urgent private ultrasound scan had showed splenomegaly. She was initially admitted with sepsis without an obvious cause but with a differential diagnosis of a haematological malignancy. Her admission blood tests showed a mildly reduced white cell count and low platelets. Her symptoms progressed and she developed right upper quadrant pain. Her blood counts deteriorated showing a disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) picture and mildly deranged liver function tests. Blood films were non-diagnostic. A CT scan of the abdomen/pelvis showed splenomegaly and also hepatomegaly and ascites, not seen in her initial ultrasound scan. Multiple cultures of blood/urine/ascites and infective serology were unremarkable.She was transferred to a larger tertiary centre under the care of the surgeons with presumed abdominal sepsis and underwent an open laparotomy, which showed a big firm liver and spleen but no obvious cause for sepsis. The infectious disease team were unable to find a cause, and haematology became involved to investigate the possibility of a haematological malignancy. The patient underwent two bone marrow biopsies, a percutaneous liver biopsy and had flow cytometry of her ascitic fluid, which revealed the diagnosis of a natural killer cell leukaemia. After some slight improvement on steroids, the patient was given cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisone, rituximab (CHOP-R) chemotherapy. The patient had an initial response to chemotherapy, with reduction in ascitic volume and hepatosplenomegaly, and normalisation of her coagulation. This was accompanied by an overall improvement in her physical condition. She had a second cycle of CHOP-R, but unfortunately approximately 2 weeks after that, she deteriorated rapidly. She was too weak for salvage chemotherapy, so she was put on comfort care. She died peacefully.
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PMID:Natural killer cell leukaemia. 2188 53

Spontaneous splenic infarction has been seen rarely in cirrhosis and portal hypertension. The clinical presentation can mimic other causes of acute abdominal pain. The diagnosis of the condition is based on clinical findings and splenic imaging. In recent years, ultrasonography and computed tomographic scan have gained in popularity for the diagnosis of splenic infarction. Most reported cases are of focal infarction, and treatment is mostly conservative. Herein, we describe a rare case of spontaneous splenic infarction in an elderly cirrhotic patient with portal hypertension who also had comorbidities. A 72-year-old female previously diagnosed with cirrhosis was admitted for left upper quadrant abdominal pain for two days. Her medical history included cryptogenic cirrhosis, congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and hypertension. Physical examination on admission revealed a palpable splenomegaly. Abdominal ultrasonography revealed splenomegaly and a hypoechoic area with lobulated contours measuring 62 x 35 mm extending from the subcapsular area to the hilus in the middle section of the spleen. Abdominal computed tomographic showed a subcapsular hypodense lesion of the spleen measuring 64 x 58 mm. Doppler ultrasound revealed a wedge-shaped heterogeneous hypoechoic avascular area extending from the central zone to the lateral zone of the spleen. In our case, diagnosis of splenic infarction was made by computed tomographic and Doppler ultrasonography. Our patient received conservative treatment for the underlying diseases. Spontaneous splenic infarction must be kept in mind in cirrhotic patients with underlying comorbidities presenting with left upper quadrant pain.
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PMID:Spontaneous splenic infarction in an elderly cirrhotic patient with multiple comorbidities. 2316 8


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