Symptoms of splenic infarction

Many people have heard of cerebral infarction and myocardial infarction, but few have heard of splenic infarction. Splenic infarction mainly refers to blockage of the splenic artery and its branches, which often leads to local tissue necrosis due to ischemia. There are no particularly obvious symptoms clinically. Some patients may have a low fever, and severe cases may cause pain in the left upper abdomen. It is easy to misdiagnose clinically.

Symptoms of splenic infarction

Splenomegaly is common in patients. Splenic infarction may have no clinical symptoms, or may only present with low-grade fever. In severe cases, it may present with severe pain in the left upper abdomen. Diagnosis is often delayed clinically.

Causes

Common causes include embolism, such as left heart valve thrombosis or detachment of left atrial mural thrombus; localized fibrosis and thickening of the splenic artery intima; and other diseases accompanied by splenomegaly, such as mitral valve disease, myeloproliferative disease, arteritis, splenic artery aneurysm, arteriosclerosis, congestive splenomegaly, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, polycythemia vera, and chronic leukemia. Splenic infarction is more likely to occur when splenomegaly is caused by portal hypertension.

treat

Splenic infarction itself generally does not require special treatment. The treatment is mainly targeted at the cause of splenic infarction and its underlying disease, and symptomatic treatment such as analgesia, monitoring, fluid replacement, oxygen inhalation, and infection prevention is given.

In rare cases, anticoagulants, thrombolytics, and vasodilators are needed. Interventional treatment can be used to solve both hemangioma and splenomegaly. For old splenic infarction, if the patient has no obvious discomfort, appropriate treatment can be given according to the specific circumstances.

The spleen is a very important immune organ in the human body. It is not recommended to remove it easily. Puncture and drainage are the main treatment. In case of splenic infarction with complications, severe left upper abdominal pain, repeated attacks of splenic infarction, and splenic abscess, splenectomy may be performed as appropriate. Patients who have undergone splenectomy or total splenic infarction should be vaccinated against pneumococcus.