Sonographic evaluation of spleen size and prevalence of accessory spleen in a healthy male Turkish population/Saglikli Turk erkeklerinde dalak boyutu ve aksesuar dalak prevelansinin ultrasonografi ile degerlendirilmesi

Objective: It is known that the measurement of splenic length in routine clinical practice is a very good indicator of actual splenic size. Knowledge of the normal range of spleen size in the population being examined is a prerequisite. Racial differences in splenic length could result in incorrect interpretation of splenic measurements. The purpose of this study was to establish the range of spleen length in a young male Turkish population. Material and Methods: A total of 2179 volunteers, healthy men aged 17-42 years, from the annual Army Reserve Officer Training Corps training camp at Manisa were included in the study. Sonographic measurements of spleen length were performed on 2179 military personnel. Presence of accessory spleen was also determined. In addition, the height, weight, and age of each volunteer were recorded. Using linear regression analysis, the relation of spleen length and body height, weight and body mass index (BMI) was evaluated. Additionally, the prevalence of accessory spleen detected on ultrasound was calculated. Results: The mean [+ or -] SD height was 173,1 [+ or -] 6,5 cm, mean weight 69,1 [+ or -] 9,7 kg, and mean BMI 22,62 [+ or -] 2,87. Mean spleen length was 10,76 [+ or -] 1,8 cm. The length of the spleen was below 12,80 cm in 95% of the subjects. No statistically significant correlation (p