PATHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF SPLENECTOMY SPECIMENS AT KING HUSSEIN MEDICAL CENTER: A 12 - YEAR STUDY

Objective : To analyze the spectrum of pathological changes observed in splenectomy specimens at King Hussein Medical Center (KHMC) between the years 2001 and 2013. Patients and Methods : The pathological slides of all the splenectomy specimens, seen at KHMC during the study per iod, were evaluated in detail. Special stains and immunohistochemistry were carried out if indicated. Results : There were 585 splenectomies performed over the study period (326 males and 259 females). There was a wide range of pathological changes. Benign causes included traumatic rupture, vascular lesions, extramedullary hematopoiesis, myeloproliferative disorders , idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), and cysts. Inflammatory lesions included tuberculosis, hydatid cyst and abscess. Malignant lesions included lymphoma and metastatic disease. The most common pathology was found to be splenic rupture mostly follo wing road traffic accidents (19.8%) and ITP (19.3%), followed by reactive lesions (15.2%), myeloid and related disorders (9.7%), and lymphoid neoplasms (8.9%). Conclusion : The most common etiologies leading to splenectomy were splenic rupture and ITP. 54. 7% of splenectomies were done for the diagnosis of either splenic mass or splenomegaly. Pathological diagnosis helped in the management of patients with unexplained splenic mass or splenomegaly.