A wandering spleen: A common presentation of an uncommon anomaly

Abstract

Background: With the advent of real time ultrasonography of the abdomen, the spleen is no longer an inaccessible organ. Wandering spleen is a rare entity with less than 500 cases reported in literature so far.

Method: This case report presents a 16-year-old Nigerian girl who had been admitted to a medical centre. She was referred for ultrasonography on account of a clinical history of lower abdominal tenderness.

Result: The ultrasonography examination revealed that the spleen was not in its normal anatomical position. However, a well-defined acoustic signature of the spleen was seen in the pelvis.

Conclusion: Ultrasonography, which is not as expensive as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and computed tomography (CT) is a valuable diagnostic aid in this condition.

Keywords:

• wandering spleen
• ultrasonography
• Nigeria