J Korean Assoc Pediatr Surg.  2006 Dec;12(2):244-250.

Multiple Tuberculous Splenic Abscesses in a Child

• Park CY
• Choi SJ
• Chung SY
• Kim SK

Abstract

Splenic abscess is a rare clinical condition with a reported incidence of 0.14 % to 0.70 % in various autopsy series. Primary tuberculosis of the spleen as a cause of splenic abscess is even rarer, especially in the antitubercular era. Infants and children have a higher predisposition to extra-pulmonary tuberculosis than adults and tend to develop severe extra-pulmonary disease such as miliary tuberculosis and meningitis. The diagnosis of tuberculosis in infants and children can be difficult because of nonspecific symptoms and clinical findings. Computed tomography establishes the diagnosis of splenic abscess and demonstrates the number and location of abscesses. Splenectomy is the standard of care in most clinical setting. We present a 4-year-old girl who had multiple tuberculosis splenic abscesses and was treated successfully with splenectomy.

Keyword

Splenic abscess; Tuberculosis; Splenectomy

MeSH Terms

Abscess*
Adult
Autopsy
Child*
Child, Preschool
Diagnosis
Female
Humans
Incidence
Infant
Meningitis
Spleen
Splenectomy
Standard of Care
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, Miliary