J Korean Soc Radiol.  2010 Dec;63(6):531-536.

Serial Changes of the Splenic Volume after Traumatic Intraperitoneal Hemorrhage

• Park HJ
• Lee YH
• Jung KJ

Abstract

PURPOSE
We wanted to evaluate the serial changes of the splenic volume in patients with traumatic intraperitoneal hemorrhage.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
20 consecutive patients with traumatic intraperitoneal hemorrhage and who underwent initial CT, early follow-up CT within 30 days and late follow-up CT examinations thereafter were included in this study. The volume of the spleen on each CT examination was measured and the relative splenic volume (RSV) on the initial and early follow-CT examinations was calculated on the basis of the splenic volume on the late follow-up CT. The hemoperitoneum score was calculated on the basis of the size of the intraperitoneal hemorrhage.
RESULTS
The average RSVs of the initial and early follow-up CT were 62.0% and 133.3%, respectively, and all the patients showed an increase of the splenic and relative splenic volumes on the early follow-up CT, as compared with those on the initial CT. Initial splenic contraction was seen in 18 patients (90.0%) and early splenomegaly was seen in 14 patients (70.0%). Patients with initial splenic contraction and early splenomegaly were the most common (12 patient, 60.0%).
CONCLUSION
Initial physiologic splenic contraction was seen in most of the patients with hemoperitoneum, and thereafter early splenomegaly was commonly seen before normalization of the splenic volume.

MeSH Terms

Abdominal Injuries
Contracts
Follow-Up Studies
Hemoperitoneum
Hemorrhage
Humans
Spleen
Splenomegaly

Figure

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  Fig. 1 A 49-year-old man with liver laceration and hemoperitoneum. A. The initial CT showed physiologic splenic contraction (102.7 cc of splenic volume, 54.8% of the relative splenic volume). B. The spleen was enlarged on the follow-up CT taken after 20 days. The splenic volume was 277.9 cc and the relative splenic volume was 148.3%. C. The splenic volume was 187.4 cc on the late follow-up CT after 131 days.

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