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Spleen cysts are rare changes, usually detected by accident. When they are small, they do not give any symptoms, while larger ones can cause discomfort that results from the pressure the cyst exerts on adjacent organs or the spleen itself. Check out what are the treatments for spleen cysts.

Spleen cystsare usually detected accidentally during ultrasound (ultrasound), computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the abdominal cavity, performed for other indications. By themselves, spleen cysts do not give characteristic symptoms, especially when they are small - up to 2 cm. Larger ones can already make themselves felt by pressing on other organs. In general, however, spleen cysts do not affect a person's overall he alth.

A large cyst (approx. 7 cm. 10-cm cyst is already a so-called "giant cyst") can signal its presence by a feeling of heaviness after eating in the upper left quadrant of the abdominal cavity, and even pain in the left shoulder and in the area of ​​the scapula . The patient may complain of nausea, belching, vomiting. He may also experience respiratory symptoms such as shortness of breath, coughing.

What is a spleen and what is its function in the body?

The spleen is a lymphatic organ located intraperitoneally on the left side of the abdominal cavity, in the left hypochondrium - between the IX and XI ribs. It is surrounded by the serous membrane and the fibrous capsule. It is made of, inter alia, smooth muscles which, by contracting, allow blood to be sucked or pumped. Its primary task is to produce immunoglobulins. It also acts as a blood purifying filter - it removes old erythrocytes, thrombocytes and leukocytes. Interestingly, the presence of the spleen in the body is not necessary - this organ is often removed in people who have suffered an accident as a result of an accident, and they can still function normally, although they have a slightly lower immunity, but then other organs take over the filtering function.

Why do cysts form on the spleen?

A cyst is a cyst, a kind of "pouch" filled with some substance, liquid or jelly-like, which forms within some tissue. We divide the spleen cysts into the so-called true and pseudocysts.

  • true cysts are characterized by epithelial lining,these include parasitic cysts (which in Europe result from an infection with echinococcus,Echinococcus granulosus ) and non-parasitic cysts - these in turn are congenital and cancerous.
  • pseudocysts (secondary) - they do not have epithelial lining, most often they arise as a result of an injury (traumatic cysts are the most common type of spleen cysts) or on a degenerative or inflammatory basis
Worth knowing

Sometimes it happens that the body, in order to defend itself against the parasite, encapsulates it. This is what happens with echinococcosis, a dangerous parasitic disease. Echinacea, a species of canine tapeworm, causes cysts, sometimes large in size, in the liver, lung, kidney, spleen, eye, or brain of an animal when it is larvae. A person can get infected from an animal, e.g. a fox, by eating unwashed forest fruits - blueberries, blueberries. Treatment of echinococcosis is difficult and lengthy, often requiring two years of antiparasitic chemotherapy and surgery.

Treatment of spleen cyst

Although the cyst itself is not a disturbing lesion, its presence can lead to serious consequences - the cyst sometimes develops an infection or an abscess - in severe cases, the contents of the cyst may escape into the abdominal cavity ("acute abdomen", severe poisoning). Another complication of an untreated cyst may be bleeding into the abdominal cavity. A large cyst, or many cysts, sometimes puts so much pressure on the organ that the spleen can rupture. Depending on the size and location of the cyst, as well as other factors (such as the patient's age, underlying diseases, etc.), individual therapy is considered.

There are several ways to treat spleen cysts.

  • dissection of the cyst and its drying; often, however, this method is ineffective, because the cyst refills with content - then a procedure called marsupialization can be applied
  • Marsupielization is the complete excision of the cyst; the cyst is cut, its contents are removed, and then its edges are sewn to the mucosa to prevent repeated accumulation of pus - this procedure can be performed either laparoscopically or classically - by cutting the abdominal wall
  • splenectomy - complete removal of the spleen - this is the basic procedure used in the case of spleen cysts; it is performed when the cyst is large, infected or is located in the spleen hilum, in recent years the procedure of partial removal of the spleen with preservation of its parenchyma has been increasingly considered, as it prevents the occurrence of postoperative complications
  • Other treatments, such as cyst puncture and drainage, and surgeriessclerotization, which consists in injecting a solution of 95% ethanol into the cyst, which causes its walls to grow together, preventing the accumulation of fluid. However, these treatments are not very popular due to the high relapse rate.

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Category:

Gastrology